


Royal Pain

by kizlu_sparkles



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action, Alcohol, Badass, Blood, Drinking, Experimentation, Explicit Language, F/M, Funny, Heavy Drinking, Human Experimentation, Hydra (Marvel), Kidnapping, Love, Mutant Powers, Mutants, Mutation, Non-Explicit Sex, Pre-HYDRA Reveal, Smoking, Torture, Undercover, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-24 06:01:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7496637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kizlu_sparkles/pseuds/kizlu_sparkles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life is cruel when you're different and when it rains, it pours. At least it is in Veronica Andersons case. No stranger to pain and heartbreak, any scrap of affection or friendship is worth fighting for, but how can you fight when your life is no longer yours to command. Do you give in, draw your line in the sand, or play the long con waiting for your chance? And what happens when you find you weren't as alone in your struggle as you thought? Well, if you have the answer, holler at a girl cause Veronica's been clueless since parachute pants were a "thing".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. PROLOGUE: Origins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited and divided into TWO parts. (June 7, 2017)

_What is pain?_ It’s something that demands to be felt. You could be trained to withstand and endure all the pain in the world, but it returns. The feeling always returns. Pain is caused by physical injuries, abuse, loss, melancholy, etc. This feeling –pain- is sadly there to remind us of what we’ve endured. It can be a small or big sensation of pain, but it’s there. There is also the fact that we must choose what to do with it. There are some who relieve the pain with anger; others do it through sadness. And then, some simply choose to ignore the pain until it’s agonizing and unbearable.

            There is also the fact that for there to be pain, there must be people who inflict it. Not always is it purposely, but everyone inflicts pain in someone else’s life. There is the exception of those who either choose to purposely inflict and the ones who are obligated to. Not everyone has the liberty to choose what they want in life; certainly, not a small group of young girls. Seven, preadolescent females that lacked shelter, food, proper clothing and a reason to live; that’s what they were. These young girls lived in the streets of Bucharest, Romania for most of their lives. They knew nothing else. Their only way of survival was to steal and become experts at the game of deceit. All the girls were small and well-built to outrun whoever was needed and to escape any sort of fight. Most had learned to fight or to contribute. One of the girls, the leader of the band of female thieves and survivalist, had a tad of more skill than the rest. She had been there since the start and had witnessed the loss of fellow survivalists. She had witnessed as they died of starvation, thirst, sickness and even the occasional “wrong place, wrong time” scenarios. She was the oldest of them all. She trained the girls to fight and taught them to survive the worst. She had been their “mother figure”.

            The girl had fire-red hair, green eyes that would change into amber and a heart made of gold. After many years on the streets, she learned to put her golden heart in diamond box. There were few things that could get to her anymore. She lived in difficult times. Having been born on February 14th, 1892 was a challenge. For her, it had proved to be worst. Her mother had died giving birth, her father had left her abandoned at the front steps of an orphanage and she was there for three years. There, she was given a first name and taken care of. On her third birthday, things began to get worst. It was the year she found out of her mutation. She began to develop her powers. It started with the telekinesis. She was an emotional toddler and the fact that her powers were tethered to her emotions didn’t help. Whenever she threw a tantrum, all things in the room would begin to rise. Depending on the severity of the tantrum, the object would begin to fly around the room, creating a field around her. There were times when the object would simply fly and crash into the walls. She didn’t know what she was doing, yet she was punished for it. The more her powers developed, the more fear grew within her caretaker. It was only when the whole building began to shake and she injured a few that the caretaker took action. The poor three-year-old was thrown out into the streets, left with nothing.

            Days later, she was found a by a group of young girls. The eldest decided to take care of her just as she had done with the rest of the girls. During their care, she grew up healthy enough to survive and they helped her with her powers. They taught her to control them, but there was always the occasional incident. The girl grew up and when she had recently turned seven years of age, she witnessed the leader of the group die. They had been together in search of supplies when it all happened. The redhead had finished her scavenge but her elder had not. She had been in the building when it was engulfed by flames. The girl wanted to look for her, but it was too late and she knew it. The pain in her heart was all that she needed to know that her “sister” was dead. The only thing she could do was honor her memory, help the girls and make her proud. In her honor, the redhead also took her last name. She would do all she could to make her proud and she tried her best, but all seemed to go downhill.

            Slowly, all the girls began to “move on”. Some couldn’t survive the harsh weathers. Others starved to death or died of thirst. The rest suffered an illness and passed on. Only two survived along with the redhead. They were all that was left. They did all that was possible and on the next century’s arrival, all began to get better. They were able to get four girls and help them. They found a good enough shelter, clothes, enough food to survive and even some money. It was getting better. It was almost perfect; almost.

 

            Six years into the 20th century, when she was 14 years old, while on a supply run, the girl was alone and in a populated area of the town. When she was grabbing some things for the girls, she noticed a woman was arguing with a man. The man was insulting the woman and hit her. This made the redhead furious and she walked to the man, pushing him away from the woman. The man swung to hit her, but she ducked and kicked him, asking him lower himself in pain, giving her the perfect opportunity to punch him. Her punch managed to knock him out and fall, but when she was checking to see if the woman was okay, two men stepped forward to defend their friend. Chaos incited and all hell broke loose. The crowd began to panic as more men joined each side. Some were defending the girl and some defended the man. Nothing was getting better, it was only escalating. At some point, all was becoming too much and the girl began to lose control. The ground began to shake and all objects began to rise and create a tornado around her. The persons fighting were staring wide eyed as the girl began to scream. She clutched her head tightly and fell to her knees as she began to hear everything. All thoughts were in her mind and every feeling was coursing through her. They were all feeling things like anger, fear and pain.

            Two words managed to make her lose every bit of control she had. There were words that she could her out of all the words that were buzzing in her mind. Freak and monster were the ones she didn’t want to hear. It was only then that all object in movement stopped and a scream ripped through her body. This scream sent all unmoving objects flying away from her with great force and speed. Many were injured, some even died from being hit by one of the many objects, but the worst was what came after. Minutes later, the police arrived and were pointing their guns at the unmoving girl. She’d been lying still on the ground since the scream. Her energy had been drained and she had been left unconscious. Everyone was afraid to touch her or even go near her. The police were much more afraid when she began to awaken, but they were relieved when a group of four men dressed in all black, carrying big weapons made their way to her. They had pushed them –the police- away and knocked her out after she began to put up a fight as they tried to carry her away. No questions were asked as she was carried into the back of a car. She was taken away and never seen again. All those from the day of the incident were lied to and told that it was all a prank, but deep inside, they all knew better than to believe the lie. Not wanting trouble, they all pretended to believe, but none of the survivors forgot.

            The girl was dragged into the back of a [truck](http://momentcar.com/images/gmc-delivery-10.jpg) and taken to an unknown place in the middle of nowhere anyone could find. When she woke up, her head was covered with a black sack and her hands and feet were bound tightly behind her. They were still on their way to their destination when she became conscious. Two guards were in the back of the truck, sitting with their guns in hand and ready to defend themselves. Although it was only a fourteen-year-old girl they were dealing with, they had to be cautious. They didn’t know the extent of her powers. When they noticed that she began to gain consciousness, they moved from their positions. They knelt on only one knee and pointed their weapons at the girl and took aim. Better safe than sorry. Albeit that was true, if they hurt a single hair on her head _he_ would have their heads on a platter.

            She didn’t move from her spot. She stayed still the rest of the way. Her stillness frightened them. Most of the girls they had brought in had immediately begun to kick and scream once they were awake. Not all of the girls were mutants, but the ones who were usually woke up minutes before arrival. The normal ones would wake up an hour _after_ their arrival. The redhead had broken all standards. She had woken up an hour half prior to arrival. ***Enhanced cellular Regeneration: the ability to regenerate completely.** That was not good for them. It meant that she was stronger than they had anticipated and that she was not going to be like the rest. They had to keep a closer eye on her due to the difference.

            Despite her not moving whatsoever, they still aimed their guns at her the whole way to their destination. Once they had arrived, they carried her into the underground facility. In the facility, there were many holding cells. Many of them had one or two girls inside. Meanwhile, she was thrown into a solitary room, with only one small window and a solid steel door with a small opening that was always closed. It was only opened when they needed to feed a girl in there or to throw in some tear gas. The walls were made of solid concrete and there was only a small mattress on the ground, a bucket to piss in and another bucket with water in it. The only food she received at first was small portions of bread. Her second day at the facility had been spent “[branding](http://www.polyvore.com/barcode_number_tattoos_scott_blake/thing?context_id=199172718&context_type=collection&id=140816828)” the new girls with their own barcodes, but as days and weeks went by, more girls disappeared –probably dead- and she progressed. She became the perfect lab rat. Every two days a man in a lab coat would come in. He would take her blood and inject something else into her system. Whatever it was, it made her powers spiral out of control for certain periods of time. The longest that they had been out of control had been for five hours and thirty minutes. It had been a great achievement for the doctor. He had explained that the more time they were out of control for, the stronger they were becoming and the more they developed. They would discover new powers every time they became enhanced.

            Before they knew it, twelve years had passed. They had discovered around fifty abilities –those including the enhancements they had made- that she possessed and that she stopped aging at the age of twenty. She had twelve enhancements made by them. She was the last of their subjects. The rest had died during the experiments and the rest were killed. They were no longer needed. Not when they had _her._ She was their greatest achievement, but it all went to hell one day. After twelve years of living a small, solitary room where she slept on an old mattress covered in blood stains and old sweat stains of past subjects mixed with her own, she was free. No more pissing in a rusty, metal bucket that was emptied once a week. No more days of lying awake in complete darkness. No more agonizing pain. But had she truly escaped the horrors? Had she really been freed from the darkness?

            It had all been going so well for them, but something was different one day. Even _she_ was surprised by how things happened. That day, the doctors were more eager and desperate when they were working. They had been so scared and controlled by their fear that they forgot to inject the serum that prevented her from using her powers. They had forgotten to tighten the restraints well. They had forgotten how observant she was even with the drugs in her system. She had always been so observant, that they had been forced to restrict her sight just like they had done when they enhanced it. * **Night vision: the ability to see clearly in darkness** and ***microscopic vision: the ability to perceive items that are normally too small to be seen with the naked eye.** Those were the ones they had worked hard for. After each and every injection -three per enhancement- they had been forced cover her eyes due to the adjustments. She would be easily distracted and would not cooperate. The doctors had to postpone other injections and sessions to help her adjust to the enhancements made to her sight. It was a slow process, but they preferred for it to be slow and effective than fast and a failure. They didn’t need her to be a perfect being, but every single enhancement that was made would come in handy when _they_ trained and used her. She had been forced to endure many procedures. She was also “tested” to see if her powers worked. After every procedure for one enhancement was done, two days would be spent teaching her how to use it properly and to see if it actually worked. Thankfully, they all did, otherwise she would have had worse days.

            Her years of not speaking to anyone, properly sleeping or eating well were agonizingly slow for her. The only use her vocal chords had, were the blood-curling screams they emitted. The only time she “slept” was when the doctors injected general anesthesia in her veins, or when they drained her of her energy completely -which would be every two weeks. Even when she slept, it was for short periods of time; one or two hours to be exact. The only food the redhead was given were small portions of bread twice a day with a small cup of water. Sometimes they would give her an apple, but nothing else. When they gave her an apple, it was only once a day and no water. Six days of the week she was used as a rat in a laboratory and on day to herself in her miserable cell, staring at the ceiling or looking at the cockroach that taunted her from the other wall. She was beyond skinny -skeletal would be a better term- and her hair was the only lively thing. Her long -below the arse-, bright orange hair was messy with dirt, blood and sweat in it. It was not brushed or washed, it was simply tied by them with a rubber band that pulled out her hair when it was taken off. Her nails were broken, uncared for and had grime under them. They looked truly disgusting. She looked like a wild animal that had been mistreated by her master. Her skeletal figure was hidden inside a “hospital” robe that they washed once every month for twelve years and her feet were always bare and touching the cold and dirty ground they never cleaned. Her bare feet would touch the sweat, blood and spit of others. The vomit of other patients or even her own, the piss of other subjects and the pests’ shit that lay on the ground. What could be worse? What could possibly be worse than feeling all those things under your feet?

            Although all of that happened, just when she was about to lose faith, she always found something to fight for. Even if it was the sound of a bird singing nearby or the sound of soft music from afar. It happened many times, those days where she would rather drown herself in her own piss than live another second in the hellhole they kept her in. They created a monster. With every day that passed, she would lose her hope and she would lose a big part of herself, no matter how small. Twelve years that she endured and survived made her the woman strong enough to _escape._

            As mentioned before, they weren’t in their right minds one day. They were driven by fear. Fear should not be trusted when it comes down to doing things. They did so many things wrong, that they couldn’t question why it happened. And it all happened so fast. First they were prepping the third injection for her final enhancement and the next thing they knew, she was aflame. * **Pyric mimicry: the ability to transform into or have a physical body made up of _fire_. ** She was made of fire and quickly burning through her clothes and the leather restraints that bound her to the cold metal table she knew oh-so-well. She was weak, but in those moments, the adrenaline began to kick in and her primal instinct of survival told her to run. She used her hands in a pushing motion, sending the doctors flying across the room and smashing into the tiled walls. ***Psychokinesis/telekinesis: the ability to move objects through mind power.** She heard the cracking of their skulls mix in with the white noise and the sound of her own heartbeat and blood rushing through her veins, but she didn’t care. She returned to human state, no flames evident, and she was naked, but she couldn’t afford to care about that either. All she wanted was to be free and enjoy her life, or what was left of it. Before she could think of what she was going to do when she was free, she had to thing about getting herself as far away from the place as she could.

            These thoughts were rushing through her head as she ran through the vast halls she barely recognized. She could only remember the patterns on the floor due to the fact that she was always dragged to the metal slab. He feet always dragged along the floor and sometimes -just sometimes- they would pace, by she was mostly dragged by her arms. She had to continue looking at the ground to know where she was going. She was suddenly hit by a memory. In the memory, she blurrily saw the doctors speaking. As if by command, the audio in the memory returned and she could remember everything they were saying.

_++++++++++++_

_Fido, the main doctor, was looking at his partner, John, and the syringe he was holding._

_“Do they really think injecting her with this is a good idea?” Fido asked in his thick Russian accent._

_“Psychic navigation never hurt anyone, Fido. Plus, it’s not like we have a choice or like it doesn’t already exist in her system. This just enhances what is already there.” John replied with his own accent as he looked at the syringe as well. The liquid was blue and it glowed. She had only seen serums like those before they enhanced something in her mind._

_“Fine.”_

_++++++++++++_

            She understood. She never practiced it, but she knew how it worked. * **Psychic navigation: track people/objects with one’s mind and/or create mental maps of an area.** The redhead possessed the ability to create the map in front of her. She stopped running and closed her eyes, clenching them tightly. She imagined an exit and when she reopened her eyes, a map displayed itself in front of her. She noticed that with the movements of her hands, she could control the map. She could move it and view it from different angles, but best of all, she could think of a way out and the map in the psychic navigation would lead her there straight away. When she had it all worked out in her mind, she turned back and began to run to the exit. She had memorized the entire map. ***Eidetic Memory/ Enhanced Memory: the power to remember and recall experiences and events inhumanly well after miniscule degrees of experience.** Just as she made a turn, two armed guards came in to sight and she gasped as they recognized her. They began to shout at her and she stood frozen, only taking small steps back when they began to get closer at a faster pace. She couldn’t move anymore, for she noticed two more armed guards were approaching from the other way. She stepped back to where she came from and looked at the four men who had their guns aimed for her head. They communicated in a secretive way and two of them lowered their weapons. They began to slowly approach her from the sides, leaving the front clear if any shots were fired. When they began to get too close, the redhead’s training kicked in. She mixed her telepathy with her psychic persuasion and made the two armed guards lower their weapons. If only she had her voice, she wouldn’t have had to use her telepathy. * **Telepathy: the power to mentally receive and/or transmit information.** She used her telepathy to communicate to the guards to lower their weapons, but it wouldn’t have worked without the psychic persuasion. * **Psychic persuasion: the ability to put one into a trance-like state of extreme suggestibility.** This control that she had over their minds is what made them comply.

            Although she had persuaded them to lower their weapons, she still had to deal with them. She decided on using what the doctors called “neurocognitive deficit” or “mind freeze”. * **Neurocognitive deficit/ Mind Freeze: the ability to shut down a person's brain functions, rendering them unconscious.** It would not kill them and it wouldn’t hurt, but they would definitely not wake up for a while. The other two guard panicked, noticing that she hadn’t even moved a hair. When she turned to them, she had stone look on her face, as if nothing could get in her way and as if she had no emotion to feel when killing them. It was the look of a complete psychopath. The look of someone who had nothing to lose, but wasn’t willing to lose the nothingness. She was willing to kill and they knew it, but they had a duty and they preferred to say that she overpowered them than to confess to _them_ that they let her go. And so, they lifted their weapons as fast as they could but not fast enough. With a gentle motion of her hand, their guns felt as if they weighed tons. As if they were being pushed down by her, or maybe an anvil, but she wasn’t even touching them. Slowly, she began to raise her hands back up, but as she did so, she crossed them, making them point the guns at each other’s’ head. With the snap of her fingers, triggers were pulled and brains were splattered along the walls of the building. Once the thudding of the bodies hitting the floor was heard, she lowered her hands and she had a newly found confidence. She knew she could escape.

            She stepped over the unconscious bodies of the other two guards and continued her way, but before she could turn, she looked back at their unconscious bodies and knew that she shouldn’t have left them alive. The primal instincts were telling her to kill them. She didn’t care that it was a human’s life she would be taking. They had taken hers! Why couldn’t she take theirs?

            Without a second thought, she turned to fully look at them and she twisted her wrists. The sound of their necks snapping didn’t even make her flinch. She simply looked at their heads as they were turned at a 360-degree angle and she turned back. This time, she didn’t stop. She had nothing in her way! She was surprised when the exit was in sight and there was no sign of trouble. She ran to it and ran outside, enjoying the sun that instantly hit her skin. Although it had blinded her, she couldn’t have enjoyed the feeling any more than she did. She turned to look at the building over her shoulder and glared at it. She looked down and raised her hand to see that it covered in flames. She played with it for a moment, finally deciding what she was going to do. She used her other hand and made circular motions, creating a ball of fire and made it grow bigger and bigger. Once she deemed it big enough, she launched it towards the building and it engulfed it. It spread like wildfire and she watched it in glee. A smile on her face and a few tears running down her face. She had never been happier. She was so happy that she began to twirl as sobs escaped her, mixing with laughter. She relinquished the feeling. The sun was very bright and it probably noon. The clouds were looking very puffy and white, the birds were singing and the sound of other animals could be heard from afar. She was deep in the country, that she knew for sure.

            Her fun was cut short by the angry voices of men. They seemed to be armed and unfriendly, so she stayed quiet and began to run as fast as she could. She was running faster than any normal human. * **Enhanced speed: the ability to move at extraordinary physical speed.** She ran barefoot for as long as she could, managing to run for five hours straight and not stop. When she stopped, she was out of breath and about to collapse. The only reason why she stopped was because she saw civilization. There were crowds all around the streets of the small town. She found a small store that sold herbs, the closest store she saw, and she went inside. She tried to find her voice to ask for help, but she barely made it to the counter. She collapsed in front of it, staying barely awake o hear the shopkeeper call his wife. The man told his wife to call the police and the medics, but the redhead gripped him tightly and shook her head with what little strength she could. The old man stopped his wife and simply told her to help him carry her up the stairs into their home. Halfway up the staircase, the redhead was swallowed by pure darkness. For the first time in twelve years, or perhaps all of her life, she would rest well and on an actual bed.

            Three days later, the redhead woke up and she was frightened. She didn’t remember a thing at first, but it all slowly came back. The memory brought a smile to her face and made her sigh in relief. She looked down at herself and furrowed her brows when she saw that she was clean and in new clothes. She wore a pair of pink, silk pants and a silk shirt to match. It was two big for her, but she wondered if it was because her body was unhealthy or because the woman who owned them was bigger than average. She knew it would be the first thought. As she thought of this, she skimmed her fingers on the nice and expensive fabric. She had never had the opportunity to touch something like it. It was glorious. The feeling of it against her skin was indescribable. Not only did she like the feeling when she touched it with her hands, but the way it grazed her skin on her breasts and her arms. The way that when she moved even a little on the bed, she could feel the fabric against her thighs and knees. It was a truly wonderful sensation. Then there was the way she could feel her pores receiving oxygen. The way she felt so clean. Her skin was soft and moisturized. Her face fresh and light. Not to mention that her was no longer sticking to her face of blocking her eyes. She lifted her arms and felt her hair. It was shorter, much shorter. He hair had been cut above her jawline, but she didn’t seem to mind. It was mixture between the shag haircut and the cropped haircut. She liked that she didn’t have to worry much about her hair anymore. She could feel it was clean and soft. She felt like new. The feeling of being cared for was also present. For the first time in decades, she was sleeping in an actual bed, with actual blankets that granted much-needed warmth. It was like a dream!

            The redhead was very much afraid that she would suddenly wake up and be back in the hellhole she burned down. She would not be able to handle something like that. And just as if life was sending her a sign that it was all very real, she heard footsteps coming up. She panicked for a moment, but before she could do anything, a nice looking old lady stepped into the room.

            “ **Oh, goodness! You’re awake. That’s good.”** The old lady said as she placed a book and a cup of tea on the nightstand by a rocking chair. She walked back towards the door and called out to her husband.

            “ **Lee, honey, she’s awake! The girl has finally awoken!”** A ruckus was heard from downstairs and heavy footsteps were heard rushing up the stairs. The redhead was startled and continued to look at them expressionlessly as they both stood by the door.

            _“ **What are your names?”**_ The redhead said into their minds with her own. They both jumped, startled because she had not moved her mouth one bit. They stood back and she looked at them strangely. She knew nothing of the world.

            “ **M-my n-name is L-lee Anderson and t-this is my w-wife L-Lorraine.”** The man stuttered nervously as he unconsciously pulled his wife closer. Lorraine looked scared and grabbed her husband’s hand, squeezing it tightly. The redhead noticed their fear and furrowed her brows deeper than they already were.

            _“_ **Why are you scared? I'm not here to harm you.”** She asked as she pulled her kneed up to her chest. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. Her eyes shifted and searched for possible exits. The thought of being captured again made her remember all the pain she suffered. Her hand found their way to the crook of her arm, knowing the puncture wounds were still fresh from the last three injections the gave her. It was something about self-sustenance. * **Self-sustenance being the ability to reduce or remove the need for bodily necessities such as: sleep, food or oxygen.** They didn’t have a chance to teach her, but she would figure it out at some point.

            “ **Are you an alien?** Lee asked suddenly, making her eyes widen.

            “ **What is an alien?** The redhead asked as her eyes widened and she looked at the two.

            “ **Lee! You can’t just ask something like that!”** Lorraine exclaimed as she turned to her husband with a gaping mouth and wide eyes.

            “ **What? It was a valid question.”** Lee said in his defense. Lorraine watched the redhead as she unconsciously placed her hand on the covered marks in the crooks of her arm. She had seen them while she washed her. She had also see the marks on the rest of her body. At first sight, Lorraine thought that the redhead was a drug addict, but upon seeing the rest of her body, covered in other marks that resembled marks obtained through torture, she relaxed and decided to give the woman a chance.

            “ **What’s your name, honey?”** Lorraine asked after taking a deep breath and stepping forth.

            “V-Veh-roh-nii-cah R-r-ru-m-mann-ce-ek…” The redhead replied with her real voice. She had tried really hard to get the words to come out. Her vocal chords hurt when they were used. Her voice sounded hoarse and sick. It was just below a whisper, but the older woman heard her.

            “[Veronica Rumancek](http://www.polyvore.com/1918/set?id=200053969).” The older lady repeated without any trouble, earning a nod from the young woman that sat on the bed, making herself smaller than she already was.

            “Ask her how old she is, darling?” Lee said from where he stood by the door. He was still uneasy.

            “I a-am twe-twen-ty si-ix.” Veronica replied as she looked at the older man.

            “You speak English?” He asked as he stepped forward. Lorraine too the time to serve the girl some water and hand it to her. She noticed how the Veronica looked at them in fear and distrust. Lorraine placed her hand on the girl’s knee.

            “It’s okay, sweetie. We won’t hurt you. Right, Lee?” Lorraine said lovingly, turning to her husband to see if he agreed. Lee sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. After a moment or two, he sat on the other side of the bed, looking at the young woman.

            “We won’t hurt you, Miss Rumancek.” Lee said in a calm tone. Although his eyes still showed fear and a little distrust, his words were sincere. Lee and Lorraine looked at each other and nodded. It was a silent promise to protect the woman.

            “Can you tell us what happened?” Lorraine asked after she served Veronica another glass of water. The redhead sighed and crossed her legs, slouching as she played with her fingers. It would be much easier to explain to them with telepathy.

            _“I was born and orphaned. After a couple of years in an orphanage, they threw me out into the streets. I was too young, but a group of girls found me. They raised even when they knew I was a monster. In 1906 I was captured by these men and they took me to hell. I was experimented on. I was enhanced. I was made powerful, but mistreated and abused. Bread and water or a simple apple as food, sleeping on a dirty mattress, using a bucket as a toilet, no showers or hygienic things, nothing. They would inject me with these serums. Some enhanced me, some added abilities and some were simply to control me. I was scared all the time.”_ Veronica explained into their minds as she began to cry. Her hands subconsciously found their way to the marks. The fresh ones stung, but the others had a different pain.

            “How did you escape?” Lorraine asked as she grabbed her husband’s hand, imagining what it would be like.

            _“Something was odd. They forgot to tighten the restraints and to inject me with the anesthetic that acted as an “off” switch for my powers.”_ Veronica looked at the two and hoped that they believed her.

            _“I managed to use one of my abilities and break free, but they tried to kill me. I-I killed then instead. Then, I burned the place to the ground. The ones that didn’t burn inside the building chased after me and that’s how I got here. I ran.”_ She was sobbing by the time she finished and Lorraine felt pity for the girl. She Pulled her into a hug and cradled her as she cried her heart out. Lee watched as his wife held onto the girl, his wife shedding her own tears. They had always wanted a child, but Lorraine could never have children.

            “I’m so sorry, sweetie. It’s going to be okay now.” Lorraine soothed as she continued to hold the young woman. She was still a child. A child whose life had been stolen. They could see it and they could see that she wasn’t used to being held. The way she clung to Lorraine was eager. She was desperate for someone’s soft touch or a warm embrace. She needed love.


	2. PROLOGUE: Origins II

            After that day, Lee and Lorraine Anderson decided to let the girl stay, teaching her what they knew of the new era. They taught her of the advances in transportation, the new fashion and what was going on in Bucharest and the rest of the world. Meanwhile, she taught them all that she knew of herself. Her powers were scary to them at first, but later on, they became accustomed to them and found it normal. One of the first things she taught them, was of her telepathy and her telekinesis. Once the basics were covered, she explained why she was able to understand, speak and even read the many languages she could. ***Omnilingualism/Polyglotism: the ability to instantly speak, understand and read any language fluently.** She used this often in their travels. Veronica had soon found out that they loved to travel around the world. They had awoken her one day asking if she remembered what a plane was and that day, they flew to Paris. They spent the two years travelling until they thought it would be a good idea to travel to the United States. The trio had started their journey in Paris and ended up staying in Brooklyn, New York.

            The Anderson’s bought a nice home that was comfortable enough for the three, a nice car and they opened a small shop filled with beautiful plants and flowers. It was the 1920’s and they had all the fun they could. They would attend parties and have the time of their lives. They had to be careful with the fact that Veronica didn’t age. It would be strange for their friends to notice that their “daughter” still looked twenty-one years old even if she was twenty-eight. That would scare them and they had learned by then that what people didn’t know, they feared. They had been like that once, but meeting Veronica changed them.

            In the next years that followed their lives in New York, Veronica made a few friends in Brooklyn. She met two nice, young women who would take her out to meet nice gentlemen and to simply dance for the night. They grew close and trusted each other. [Tulip](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/703615040734302208/vNxt-DXK.jpg), a petite young woman with beautiful dark skin, brown eyes and black hair that reached her jaw line; and [Lana](http://s9.favim.com/orig/131028/beautiful-black-and-white-ily-lana-del-rey-Favim.com-1021390.jpg), a wild young woman with ivory skin, blue/green eyes and shoulder- length, light brown hair were the best of friends for a long time. They met Veronica at a party. Lee knew Tulip’s father and they were good friends. Once they met, there was no separating them. One night, [Tulip](http://www.polyvore.com/tulip/set?id=200172640) and [Lana](http://www.polyvore.com/lana/set?id=200173003) decided to drag Veronica to a party. Lana’s boyfriend would be there. They had been dating a few months and Lana was “in love” with him, or so she said. Neither Tulip nor Veronica liked him very much, he was a womanizer that had seduced their friend. Veronica was all [dolled up](http://www.polyvore.com/rejoining_soceity_1920s/set?id=199882828) for the party. She had put on her best belt and stockings and her best dress over the nice set of satin underwear she could find in her drawers. Her shoes were the most expensive she owned and she was adorned with various accessories -including the set of rings that Lorraine had gotten for her. She would be attending a New Year’s Eve party. At midnight, it would be the beginning of 1927. Tulip and the redhead were at the bar smoking their cigarettes as they sipped their martinis while Lana was dancing with her boyfriend, Arnold. He had his hands all over Lana’s body and Tulip and Veronica had looks of disgust while Arnold’s friends were looking at them in a manner that should have been illegal. They were lustful and hungry looks of desire. The ladies at the bar turned back to their drinks, their feet touching as they crossed their legs and faced each other.

            “I don’t like that man of hers.” Tulip said as her face scrunched up in disgust.

            “It would be quite hilarious if you think _I_ do.” Veronica scoffed as she took a drag of her cigarette. Tulip smiled at her friend and chuckled.

            “How are you, honey? Any man I should know about?” Tulip asked after a few seconds of silence. Veronica nearly choked on her drink, causing the other woman to laugh.

            “I’m serious, Vera. What about that Johnny boy who works for your parents?” Tulip continued to look at the redhead and she soon caved in. She looked at Tulip through her eyelashes and blushed.

            “He asked me to go to a party with him tomorrow.” She said it in a whisper, but Tulip heard and squealed loudly. She set her drink on the bar and placed that hand on Veronica’s knee, looking at the redhead eagerly.

            “What did you say? You better have said yes.” Tulip asked with a grin on her face.

            “I said no.” Veronica answered as she lowered her head.

            “Why”

            “Because I don’t think he would like me very much once he gets to know me.”

            “Oh, honey.” Tulip was going to say something else when she saw something that made her grin like a Cheshire cat.

            “I think he likes you enough to go all the way to a party to get you.” Tulip informed and the redhead looked at her strangely. Tulip looked behind veronica again and the redhead followed her gaze. She was shocked to see Johnny there. He looked very handsome in a nice tuxedo and his hair was slicked back unlike his usual messy do. He was standing at the entrance with a rose in his hand and Veronica melted at the sight. Johnny searched the crowds for Veronica and turned his back to her in search. Tulip took advantage of the situation and made Veronica stand up. She straightened her best friend’s dress and looked at her to check her make up.

            “Vera, you look gorgeous, he looks gorgeous and your babies will be gorgeous. Take out that amazing confidence of yours and walk over there.” Tulip said, giving Veronica new cigarette and returning her still-full martini.

            Veronica looked at Tulip and asked: “What about you?”

            “I’ll find myself a nice gentleman to dance with, Vera. Now, go!” Tulip laughed. Veronica pulled Tulip into a hug and closed her eyes. Tulip pulled away and the redhead turned, smirking as she opened her eyes and began to walk toward [Johnny](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/54/ea/92/54ea9209e0aa0fd819ebf58d761eba5c.jpg). She was behind him in no time and she tapped his shoulder with the hand that held her cigarette.

            “Hey there, handsome.” She said smoothly and watched as he turned, ready to decline any offer, but then he noticed who it was. “Wow! R-Ronnie you look… gorgeous!” [Johnny](https://tribzap2it.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/jensen-ackles-time-travel-supernatural.jpg) said in awe as he stared at the young woman.

            “And you look very handsome. I like the change.” Veronica flirted easily. She was a very confident person when she wanted to be. Johnny blushed and looked down at his shoes. After a moment, he smiled and looked up again. He extended his hand and gave Veronica the rose he held.

            “This is for you.” He said as he gave it to her.

            “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” She said as she leaned closer towards him and stood on her toes, kissing his cheek tenderly and for a few good seconds. When she pulled back, he was smiling widely.

            “Would you like to dance, my lady?” He asked as he held out his hand. The woman grabbed his hand with a smile and dragged him to the dancefloor. She smiled at the singer and she looked at her with face that made the couple laugh. Eventually the singer, [Gloria,](http://images6.fanpop.com/image/forum/206000/206636_1389891246418_full.png) finished the song she had been singing and began to play the one she knew Veronica loved. The couple began to dance and they would laugh every so often. Veronica had given her drink to him and he had finished it quickly, placing the empty glass on a waitress’ tray. The redhead continued to smoke and even offered a few drags to Johnny, who happily accepted them.

            “You are perfect. You know that, right?” Johnny asked as he leaned his forehead against hers. “I did not know.” Veronica said with a smirk and she giggled when Johnny tickled her side. He laughed and loved the way she laid her head on his chest and he could place his chin on her head. A few minutes later, she pulled away from his chest and looked at him in the eyes.

            “How about you show me?” Her eyes were serious. She wasn’t joking in any way. She didn’t know why she asked. She didn’t know what she was doing. She had never done it before. Maybe it was that. Maybe it was the fact that she was technically thirty-five and she was still a virgin. It was also the fact that if she was going to do it with someone at that moment, she would love to do it with him.

            “W-what?” He was so shocked by her question that his brain couldn’t register much. He looked very surprised.

            “Show me just how perfect you think I am, Johnny.” Veronica stated in a soft voice. They had stopped dancing as soon as she pulled away from his chest and they stood still at the edge of the dancefloor.

            “You mean, show you just how perfect I _know_ you are.” Johnny corrected with a smile as he cupped her either sides of her face and looked into her eyes. She smiled sadly at him and looked down as her cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. Johnny lifted her face and leaned down, kissing her lips very softly. She reciprocated the kiss and smiled against his lips.

            “Let’s get out of here.” Johnny said with a smile as he intertwined their fingers and pulled her with him. He knew where to go.

            Just as they were leaving the room where the party was taking place, Tulip stopped Veronica. The redhead didn’t fail to notice the handsome gentleman behind her best friend and smiled towards him. He returned the kind gesture and Veronica turned back to look at Tulip.

            “Have you seen Lana?” Tulip asked with a smile as she still held her partner’s hand.

            “No. She must have gone with Arnold to… you know.” Veronica said with a smile. She was in desperate need to leave and feel Johnny’s lips on her own.

            “Oh. Yeah, you’re probably right.” Tulip laughed and pulled her partner to her side.

            “Also, this is Christopher. Christopher this is Veronica and her boyfriend Johnny. If you guys need anything we’ll be out on the dancefloor.” Tulip said quickly only giving them time to wave at each other.

            “Bye, Tulip! Have fun!” Veronica called out as she laughed, but blushed at the thought of Tulip’s words.

            Johnny proceeded to pull her out of the room and ran through the hall. They ended up outside at the parking lot. She was shocked when she saw the car. He was walking towards. “Is that my father’s Mercedes?” She asked as she looked at him in shock and back to the car.

            “He said I could borrow it for the night.” Johnny said with a smile.

            “He probably shouldn’t have.” Veronica said with a smile and a giggle. Johnny shook his head as he laughed and opened the back door, letting Veronica in. As soon as he was inside and the door was closed, they were extremely close to each other. Johnny took off his jacket, feeling the heat. He placed his and on her calf and began to run his hand up and down tenderly. The first thing he did was stop at her ankle and take off her shoes. He then ran his hands up high, over her dress, stopping at her waist and pulled her closer to him. They kissed again, but it was a more passionate kiss. It continued on as Veronica pulled on his tie to pull him close and she undid his tie. It fell to the floor of the car, sitting next to their shoes. The redhead pulled his shirt out of his pants after sliding the suspenders off his shoulders. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he continued to kiss her lip, also moving down to kiss her jaw and neck. His hands were on the backs of the seats, holding him up as he continued his trek. He groaned when her hands moved down and began to undo his belt. Quickly enough the belt was undone and discarded off. His shirt was thrown to the front seat and it was his turn to undress her. He sat back and pulled her with him, sitting her on his lap, straddling his thighs. Her dress was hiked up and Johnny could see the clips of her belt holding the stocking. There was no way to deny that it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. All the other women ha had been with wore lower skirts and shorter socks. The tan colored stockings contrasted well against her porcelain skin. He was infatuated with the redhead.

 

            He ran his hands up her thighs, but the dress would only come off by unzipping it. He reached back and pulled the zipper down, sliding the fabric off her shoulders to reveal her undergarments. He smirked a the expensive-looking underwear. He laid her back down on the seat and pulled the dress off, getting help from Veronica as she kicked it off. After she was rid of the dress, the rest of their clothes came off and the fun commenced. Johnny was soft and loving with her. She had told him that it was her first times just as they were going to do it and he decided to be more gentle than he usually was. She was a delicate flower in his arms. It didn’t matter to him that she had scars are over her body. He didn’t care. She was perfect to him. He knew he really loved her as soon as his name feel from her lips like prayer. Her moans were like angels singing to him. Her soft and heated skin. The way her hair wasn’t tamed. They way her eyes closed with every movement he made. She was relishing the moment. She enjoyed everything. The way he kissed her, the way he moved, the way her held her in general felt like heaven. It was truly, a beautiful experience. She was ecstatic by the end of it. They had even smiled and laughed when the fireworks went off, indicating that it was New Year’s Eve. It was the beginning of 1927.

            He lay on the backset for a while, Veronica’s back was against Johnny’s chest and he was tracing patterns onto her arm as he admired the tattoo on her back. It was a [tattoo](http://www.polyvore.com/small_dragon_tattoo_on_neck/thing?context_id=199172718&context_type=collection&id=107047698) she had gotten in 1919 during the Anderson’s trip to Japan. He had seen it before, but he couldn’t appreciate it. It had been an awkward situation. [Lee](http://www.fansshare.com/gallery/photos/11759044/stanlee-young/?loadimage) had sent him up to get the redhead before he left with [Lorraine](http://science-all.com/image.php?pic=/images/meryl-streep/meryl-streep-08.jpg) to Washington D.C. Johnny and Veronica were supposed to open the shop soon and she still wasn’t ready. When Johnny looked ahead as he finished walking up the stairs, he saw Veronica’s naked back. She had left the door open after stepping out of the shower. He noticed the tattoo on her back, but the redhead put on her button up shirt. She tucked it inside her pants and finished getting ready, turning to leave. She noticed him and her eyes went as wide as his, a blush creeping up to her cheeks.

            Johnny smiled at the memory and kissed her shoulder. He was about to ask her about the tattoo, but a commotion made them sit up quickly and wipe the windows and look outside. Veronica’s eyes widened at the sight of a beaten and bloody Lana being dragged through the parking lot. She was still conscious, but barely. All she could do was scream. Tulip ran out of the bar a moment later, trying to stop Arnold. Johnny and the redhead hurried to get dressed -or at least decent- and stumbled out of the car. Johnny only wore his pants over his underwear and Veronica only wore her dress -with nothing under. They were barefoot, but they didn’t care about the pebbles that were stinging their feet. They cared for the poor girl.

            “Let her go!” Tulip screamed at Arnold, but not daring to get close.

            “Oh, yeah? What are you gonna do you fucking stupid, black whore?” Arnold shouted at her as he threw Lana to the ground.

            “This.” She said as she lifted her hands up in front of her and began to kill Arnold with what Veronica knew as ***Psionic Inundation:** **the ability to overload another's mind, causing various effects such as; brain damage, memory loss, unconsciousness, vegetative state and/or death.** This ability was one that Veronica knew all too well, due to the fact she had used it various times during her time in captivity and even after she escaped. In that moment, she seemed to remember all the damage _they_ caused within her. It had been years, but it was all there. What surprised the redhead, was the fact that she hadn’t detected that Tulip was also a mutant. Even with her ***Power Detection: the ability to sense the presence of supernatural powers within others.**

            There was a way to evade detection and Veronica possessed the ability to do it as well. ***Tracking Evasion: the ability to hide from followers and pursuers and avoid total detection/discovery.** This ability always came in handy. It was something that she had learned to put to good use after she escaped. Veronica was standing there, watching Tulip in surprise, but she noticed that Tulip was killing the man and the redhead knew that killing a person left a hole in your soul. She didn’t want Tulip to go through what she still went through. The guilt of having killed people and although they had deserved it, she lived with the fact that she was so capable of killing another human. If she could kill them that easily, then she could kill anyone. She ran to Tulip and grabbed her arm.

            “Tulip, you need to stop! You can’t kill him!” Veronica exclaimed as she looked at Tulip’s face.

            “He and his friends raped her!” Tulip exclaimed as tears ran down her face, a tiny trail of blood leaking out of her nose.

            “You can’t, Tulip. Let the police handle this. I know what killing a person is like. It rips out pieces of your soul. _Don’t do this._ ” She begged as she turned Tulip’s head towards her.

            When Tulip ripped her face away from Veronica’s grasp and refused to stop, the redhead was forced to block Tulip’s powers temporarily. ***Power negation: the ability to nullify the powers of others.** The man continued to scream in agony, but it ceased as soon Veronica blocked the woman’s powers temporarily. Tulip looked at the redhead in shock and tried again, but she knew it was useless.

            “Give them back!” Tulip growled.

            “I can’t unblock them, Tulip. You’ll kill him.” Veronica whispered as she stepped back.

            “Look at what he did to Lana!” The black woman all but screeched. The redhead turned to look at her friend who was crying by Arnold’s side. Arnold was crying in pain, his head still hurting as he knelt on the asphalt. The man pushed Lana away from him, pulling a gun from his jacket. Johnny, pulled both women to his sides and watched as Arnold stood, tears still running down his cheeks as he pointed the gun at the three of them.

            “Arnie, stop!” Lana said as she pulled on his arm.

            “Shut up! Don’t touch me, stupid bitch!” He shouted, pushing Lana back, but he did the unexpected. He pulled the trigger to his gun as he pointed it at her stomach. The girls screamed and went to run forward, but Johnny pulled them both back. He furrowed his brows when he felt Veronica’s skin get hotter. She was glaring at the man, clenching her fists. She was trying to hold herself back.

            Arnold looked to be shocked at his own actions. They all watched as Lana began to cough and fell to the ground, bleeding to her death. Veronica turned to Tulip and grabbed her wrist, trying to unblock her powers. They were rushing and couldn’t seem to do it. Before they knew it, Arnold had turned back to them and pointed the gun at them.

            “No witnesses.” Arnold said softly as he had a crazed look on his face. In that moment, Veronica knew what she needed to do. She looked at Johnny and gave him a kiss in the cheek.

            “Keep Tulip safe.” After the words left her lips in a sad whisper, she was gone. ***Teleportation: the ability to move instantaneously from one location to another without physically occupying the space in between.** In the matter of a second, she was behind Arnold. Her body erupted in flames and she turned him by his shoulder. The burning touch made him pull the trigger as he spun around. Johnny was instantly in front of Tulip, hugging her. Although he had tried to protect her, the bullet passed through him and imbedded itself in Tulip. Both of them seemed fine, but there was hole in Johnny’s back that began to bleed. It was on his left shoulder. He had been shot through the heart. As soon as his would began to bleed, he fell to his side at the same time as Tulip fell to her side in the opposite direction. Both Veronica and Arnold stared at their corpses and Veronica’s eyes became filled with wrath. Arnold turned back to her in fear. He was speechless by her body which was aflame. The flames had burned her clothes off, but nothing was defined. She was completely engulfed by flames and they had been an orange color, but they became a furiously hot blue.

            She didn’t want to kill him at first, but then he shot the two closest people she had. In that moment, she was blinded by rage. The police arrived after hearing the commotion and they pointed their guns and them. Veronica ignored them and looked at the man in the eyes. She didn’t even let him plead. She simply grabbed both sides of his face and burned it, crushing it in her hands. ***Enhanced strength: the ability to be stronger than what is naturally possible.** His limp body fell to the floor, his face gone, his entire head squished and made mush. He was definitely not going to harm anyone else ever again. In her rage, she began to walk towards the bar, not even looking at the corpses of her friends. She stopped at the doorway, turning her head to look over her shoulder at all the shocked and scared policemen that surrounded her. As soon as she turned to them, they began to shoot, but the bullets never reached her. She had put a force field in front of her. ***Flyrogenesis/Force-Field Generation: he ability to project powerful fields of manipulated energy.** She looked at them in annoyance and with a flick of her wrists, their guns flew out of their hands. They looked at her with wide eyes filled with a more intense fear and watched as she furrowed her brows and concentrated deeply. The round began to shake slightly and suddenly they were blown back by waves of energy. ***Vibration Emission/ Seismic Energy Burst: the power to generate destructive shock-waves.** The cars were blown away by the energy and some crashed on top of some policemen, but most lived.

            Veronica turned back and continued her way inside, searching for the rest. She concentrated and searched for them. ***Clairvoyance/ Telepathic Perspective: the power to gain direct visual information through non-physical means.** She eventually began to get a mental picture of where they were. They were laughing in a room that looked like the bar’s storage room. They were talking about how they had raped Lana. They were making fun of her. They were jovially and casually speaking about what they did. It fueled Veronica’s rage. She went back to her human form and walked through the halls, making her way to them. She stopped at the door and turned the knob. It was locked. She placed her hand above the knob and her hand began to emit intense heat. ***Calokinesis/ Heat Manipulation: the power to manipulate heat.** The knob melted and the redhead kicked the door open. She startled all of the men inside and they all stood, looking at her with wide eyes. She rolled her eyes at the look. She had been receiving it way too often.

            She watched as Arnold’s right-hand-man stepped forth and smirked at her, reaching out to touch her waist. She grabbed his wrist with a quick reflex and twisted it in an awkward position, smirking at the satisfying sound of a crack. He cried out and went to hit her gain, but she dodged him by stepping to the side. He landed on the floor and continued to gasp in pain. Two of his pals went to his side, while the other two stepped towards the woman. One of them threw a punch, but she moved to the side at an incredible speed. ***Enhanced Agility: the ability to possess agility beyond that of a normal member of the user's species. One can go from one motion to another effortlessly, effectively dodge attacks, swing from things easily, sprint, do back-flips and numerous other gymnastic, athletic and martial implements with little effort.** He stumbled forward and the other tried kicking her, but she grabbed his leg and twirled him, later throwing him across the room. ***Enhanced Reflexes: the powers to have drastically enhanced reaction speed.** The other one stood back up and positioned himself in a fighting stance. He threw more punches her way, but she dodged all of them, throwing a few of her own and hitting the target. He stumbled back, but regained composure quickly. He approached again and this time, his friend was by his side. They both approached and Veronica strategized everything in her mind. ***Enhanced Intelligence: the user has intelligence that is significantly above standard genius level intellect; possessing exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, and originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of new advances in a domain of knowledge.** She visualized how it would all go. The redhead returned to reality quickly enough to dodge the first man’s hit and kicked the other in the chest. She punched the first man with her right and then her left hand and proceeded to grab his head and smash it against her knee, breaking his nose. She turned back to the second man and threw a few punches and when he grabbed a metal pipe and swung at her, she moved under him arm and stepped behind him. She lifted herself of the ground -given that the man was much taller than her- and remained there for a moment as she wrapped her arms around his neck in angle and twisted them, snapping the man’s neck. ***Enhanced Combat: the user is unbelievably skilled in most known forms of fighting** ; and ***Levitation: the ability to cause oneself/subjects/objects to hover in the air.** She lowered herself back to the ground and grabbed the metal pipe. Her body morphed and she became metal. Her body was strong, chromed metal. ***Metal Mimicry: the power to transform into or have a physical body made up of metal.** She walked to the first man and he looked at her in fear. He quickly shook his head and he lunged at her.

            “FREAK!” She ignored his shout and as he came closer to her, she swung the metal pipe to the right with her right hand. When he was bent forward, she swung the pipe up and he flew backwards against a stack of crates. She made her way to him and grabbed him by the neck, looking at him with her cold, metal eyes. She squeezed his neck and it slowly broke and he died in her hand. When his head fell limp, she tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand it, but she was very aware. She threw to the side with her strength and he landed by his dead friend.

            Next, Veronica approached the other three. The two who had been helping the right-hand-man, stepped up and she scoffed. She swiped her foot under their legs and they fell back. She grabbed one of them and slammed his head against the floor various time. Blood was everywhere, along with pants of his skull and mushed brains. The other had been on his feet quickly and readied himself to attack. He watched as she straightened herself and made her way to him. She used her mind freeze only for a second and he was left dazed. It was too late to see her spina and lift her leg all the way up to his face, kicking him with the heel of her foot. ***Enhanced Flexibility: the ability to bend and twist your body far beyond the normal limits of physiology, although still only from the joints.** The had been so forceful, that his neck broke and he died in an instant. His body fell limp onto the floor and Veronica left him there, feeling nothing. No guilt or remorse.

            At last, _he_ was left. He was cowering in the corner and watching her as she approached him. You would thing that she would take her time with him, but she didn’t. She believed that simply watching all of his friends die was enough torture before dying. As she approached him, her body morphed back to its pyric physiology and she grabbed him, pulling him to her, burning him to a crisp. His screams of agony satisfied her and when they stopped, she let him fall to the ground, putting out her flames. She was done. They were all dead, and the hole in her heart grew. She went to step back and her foot hit something cold and hard. She looked down and noticed the bottle of tequila. She smirked and grabbed it, opening the cap. She took a swig and sat on the floor with her knees up to her chest, her ankles crossed and her arm on her knees. She began to cry in ugly sobs. It was her fault that they died. If only she had thought about it sooner.  If only she had stayed by their side and simply used a force-field. If only…

            Minutes later, the door slammed open and the police walked in. They had bigger weapons, but she didn’t do anything. She lifted her arms above her head in surrender and let them take her. She had dropped the empty bottle of tequila and winced at the sound it made. They dragged her out by her upper arms, covering her with a big jacket and keeping their weapons pointed at her at all times. There wasn’t even a trial. As soon as the paperwork was done, she was taken away to an asylum. Lee and Lorraine stood to the side at the police station, wanting to do something as Lorraine cried, but Veronica shook her head. She shamefully lowered her head and walked out of the station. She had been put in white, cotton pants, a white cotton shirt and a straight-jacket. Her mouth was covered and her hand and feet were connected by chains. Her hair was wild and the look in her eyes was sad and full of grief. She didn’t feel guilt; she was just mourning her losses.

            In the asylum, she was thrown into a padded cell. There, she sat on the bed, staring at nothing for hours. She remained at the asylum without visitors for a year. After the year, she was allowed visitation for “good behavior”, but there were always armed guards at around. Lee and Lorraine were not allowed near her and the redhead refused to speak anymore. After the first few visits, she had made the decision to not make things worse. The first few times, she would get angry or too emotional and she would be electrocuted. After those, she simply remained quiet and listened to Lorraine and Lee talk to her about the simple things. Years began to pass and Lee and Lorraine were giving up on the woman. The continued to age, but she remained the same way as they had found her. It shocked the staff at the asylum. It shocked everyone that would do tests on her. She was simply not human. Her genetic structure was not normal and they didn’t understand that. They treated her like a monster, a freak. She was always miserable. She would entertain herself sometimes create illusions for herself. She would replay moments of her life. ***Holographic projection: the ability to create, shape and manipulate holograms; fully three-dimensional images of the holographed target. As such they are based on sight only and have no effect to other senses or have physical presence.** She would watch them and begin to cry. She would remember all the beautiful moments she shared with Lee and Lorraine, the funny moments with Tulip and Lana, and the awkward moments with Johnny. She could never relive the night. It was just something she had tried to force herself to relive, but she wasn’t strong enough. She had ended up burning parts of the cell by beams of solid energy. ***Power Blasts: the ability to release/use energy to attacks of various shapes and/or intensities, either projected, used as a part of melee attacks, etc., from huge rays of pure energy that can knock over or even obliterate dozens of targets, or slightly singe them.** Due to the fact that she had burned a hole through her straight-jacket, she had to be put to sleep and she had been returned to the cell with a new straight-jacket. It was only _after_ the doctors injected her with something to make her woozy that they returned her to her cell.

            Whenever she fell asleep to an injection, she would leave her body and roam the halls of the asylum during the night, visiting other patients, making friends. ***Astral Projection: the power to separate one's spirit from one's body.** She would only visit the schizophrenics, as harsh as it may have sounded, they wouldn’t be believed of her presence wandering the halls. Using the power of astral projection, she would taunt some of the sleeping guards. She would enter their minds, accessing their deepest fears and making them dream about them. It was a soft version of torture for the mind. ***Dream Manipulation: User can create, shape, enter and manipulate the dreams of oneself and others, including modifying, suppressing, fabricating, influencing, manifesting, sensing, and observing dreams as well as nightmares, daydreams, etc. They can produce and modify dreams, bestow nightmares or lucid dreaming, entrap people in REM, and promote spiritual/emotional healing within dreams.** Her fun didn’t last long because they figured out that it was her and the guards were forced to remain awake throughout the night. She could no longer mess with them.

            Knowing that she would get bored and wreak havoc, she was given a box of books. They had become accustomed to her powers, so they knew she could telepathically control them. What they didn’t expect was that she would close her eyes and absorb the story. She went through boxes of weeks every week. ***Literary Manipulation: User can create, shape and manipulate all forms of physical literary objects that are printed, written or drawn (books, comics, magazines, etc.), including their physical forms/materials and anything written, printed, illustrated, or drawn in them.** She increased her enhanced knowledge with all the books she read. Although Veronica had much information in her brain, she refused to share it by not speaking to anyone. Her non-verbalism got worse when Lorraine visited one day, on July 13, 1937, informing the redhead that Lee Anderson had passed away due to a heart attack. The redhead was devastated and the situation only worsened when on December 24, 1940, she was informed of Lorraine’s passing. She had died in her sleep.

            Guilt began to consume Veronica inside as she thought of all the things she should have done. She should have talked to them. She should have thanked them! She should have told them how much she _loved_ them! In those moments, it was too late. She couldn’t even attend their funerals. She couldn’t do anything, it was all her fault, she had gotten herself in the situation she was in. It was all her fault…

            In the year 1943, around October, something odd happened. She had spent the rest of her years in a living hell. No sleep, she starved herself and she felt like she was dying most of time. Her mind would play tricks on her. Her powers manifested themselves and manipulated her into insanity. On that particular day, she seemed to be a wild animal still not used to captivity. She was surprised when the door to her cell opened a handsome man and a beautiful woman walked in. They looked at her, analyzing her, making her feel like she was still at the facility all those decades ago. She backed herself up against the corner and the woman, the first normal woman she had seen in years, approached her, telling the man to stay back.

            “Ms. Rumancek?” The woman asked with a British accent. The girls head snapped towards her and she looked at her pointedly, focusing in what the woman wanted. She was reading her mind, searching through her memories. Certain memories made her realize that the woman was there to help her.

            “It’s alright, Ms. Rumancek. We’re not here to hurt. My name is Agent Peggy Carter and this is my colleague Howard Stark.” Peggy introduced herself and watched as the redhead relaxed. She watched her, taking in all of her features. The mutant’s hair was now very short. The [pixie cut](http://www.shorthairstylesandcuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Short-Orange-Redish-Pixie-Haircut.jpg) seemed to be for safety measures and her eyes were sunken in and tired, but they still held alertness in them. Her lips, pale and chapped due to lack of proper hydration and the chilly air in the room.

            “Call me Veronica.” The redhead said in a raspy voice.

            “Veronica, I don’t believe that you’re crazy.” Peggy began to say, choosing her words meticulously.

            “I wasn’t locked in here because I’m crazy, Ms. Carter. I’m here because I killed people in monstrous ways. Because I am a _monster_! I am in here because a regular jail cell can’t hold me.” The redhead exclaimed as he body began to get heated.

            “We know. We know everything.” Peggy Carter informed, sensing the increasing temperature in the room.

            “What do you mean?” Veronica asked, not truly believing the woman, as she “cooled” down.

            “It means that we know you were born nameless and homeless on February 14, 1892 in Bucharest, Romania. We know what you have looked the same since you were twenty-one years old in 1913, and that you have abilities that could be very useful for the good of others.” Howard informed as he stepped forward.

            “No. I’m in here for a reason. It’s all my fault. I killed all of them!” Veronica exclaimed as she stood from the bed abruptly and stepped away from them.

            “There are over a dozen ways I could have escaped this place, but I didn’t! I didn’t escape for a reason. _This_ is my _punishment!_ ” She added as she continued to step back.

            “Veronica, what if you could redeem yourself? What if you could repay for all the lives you’ve taken, by saving others?’ Peggy offered, becoming alarmed by the girl’s hostility. They were desperate to get the woman out. They _needed_ her. Veronica looked to be thinking it over and Peggy and Howard shared a look. All Veronica needed was a gentle push.

            “Veronica, we need your help. There are people who are going through the _exact_ same thing you went through for all those years. _They_ need your help. They _need_ someone who understands what it’s like.” Peggy tried to persuade the redhead, and as if it were her power to persuade, the woman agreed to help.

            “Okay. I’ll help.” Veronica said in a soft whisper after a few moments of silence. Howard and Peggy sighed in relief and looked at the woman, who was looking at them, waiting for their next move.

            “There is a condition to your release.” Howard suddenly said as he looked at the woman in front of him.

            “Whatever they are, I don’t care. Get me out of this place and put me to good use.” Veronica said in annoyance as she rolled her eyes and pushed past them.

            “The condition is; that you have to leave this place sedated and restrained. You have to arrive at the base in the same way.” Howard informed and he expected the redhead to argue, but she simply nodded.

            Veronica was sedated in her room. The sedative was manufactured by Howard Stark himself. He made it specifically for the woman. It would keep her sedated until they arrived and it would block her powers just in case. She didn’t know that it had been made for her, she just thought it was a regular sedative. Although she was heavily sedated and they knew she couldn’t use any of her abilities, they restrained her. They put her in new and better straight-jacket and they blindfolded her. They put plugs in her ears and covered her mouth with a mask. Aside from the straight-jacket, they tightly restrained her to a gurney and chained her ankles together. After they were sure she wouldn’t cause any harm, they rolled the gurney into a truck and drove back to the airport. They rolled her onto the plane and flew to Italy.

            When they arrived, they went straight to where they were based and took Veronica with them. She was beginning to wake up, but not yet. She woke up just as they arrived at the base and Howard and Peggy took her into a secure place. Howard began to deal with an alarmed redhead as Peggy went to get Steven Grant Rogers also known as Captain America. Peggy quickly went to him and pulled him aside.             “What’s wrong, Peggy?” Steve asked in worry as he saw the look on Peggy’s face. She was in a hurry to return to help Howard.

            “Nothing’s wrong, but I need you to come with me right now.” The woman informed and pulled him with her. As they walked in to where Howard and veronica were, Steve asked -for the third time- what was going on. He was shocked to see a woman laying on a gurney, heavily retrained.

            “Veronica, it’s me, Howard.” The man said as he tried to get the woman to calm down. Steve went to help, but Peggy held him back. He would only make things worse. The woman stepped forward and stared into Veronica’s eyes after taking of the blindfold she still wore.

            “Veronica, you must relax. We won’t harm you. Do you remember us?”  Peggy said as she stood at the other side of the gurney, opposite to Howard. Veronica looked at the two of them and relaxed, recognizing who they were as her memories continued to flash back to her. The duo sighed in relief and began to take off her restraints.

            “You must remain calm and you must not do anything unless we say you can.” Peggy explained as she took off the mask the redhead wore. Howards freed her of the chains that bound her ankles and the restraints of the gurney. When the woman sat up, she looked around and noticed an unknown man standing ten feet away from her. Peggy slowly and carefully took off Veronica’s straight-jacket and watched as the woman stretched her arms. Veronica stood and stretched her body, not breaking eye contact with the unknown man. He stared at her in wonder and curiosity and she stared at him in suspicion and mistrust. Who was she? Who was _he_?

            The two continued to look at each other with furrowed brows and Peggy and Howard watched Veronica closely to see her reaction. Veronica stepped forward and looked at the soldier with keen observation. She took in the fact that he was taller than her by a lot, his build was ginormous -enhanced-, his posture was perfectly straight and he seemed loyal to the military. The serious look he had, gave away that he was a soldier; the innocent blue in his eyes, gave away that there was a purity in his heart and the wonder and curiosity showed that he was good man, fighting for the good of others. The redhead could see that he was just a young man, who wanted to help. The thoughts made the woman step forward towards him and extend her hand. She didn’t speak, she simply extended her arm for him to shake her hand. When he took her hand, he noticed her iris and pupil were enveloped by the white of her sclera. Information began to pass on to Veronica as she searched in the man’s brain for who he was and the things of the new world. The man only felt a burning sensation in his hand, travelling through his veins to his brain.

 _“Steven Grant Rogers. Steve “Captain America” Rogers.”_ A name for the tall soldier slipped past her lips in a monotone way. _“Born on July 4 th, 1918.” _A birthdate for the young man. _“Born to Sarah and Joseph Rogers in Brooklyn, New York City.”_ A place of origin for the small kid he used to be. _“Genetically modified and enhanced in Project Rebirth by the military during World War II.”_ A reason for who he was as he stood in front of her. _“Super Soldier Serum;_ _a chemical solution originally developed by German scientist Abraham Erskine -deceased-.”_ Additional required information to know the advances in the world of science. Information that sparked fear in her being. Why couldn’t they stop searching for ways to give power to others. Why try and create such power in the first place. Memories of who Steve Rogers used to be flowed into her knowledge and she skimmed all of it. Soon enough, her eyes returned to their natural state and she let go of the man’s hand. She smiled at the man, knowing that she could trust him.

            “Captain, my name is Veronica Rumancek Anderson. I imagine that meeting me has been stranger that what you imagined.” The redhead explained. Her facial expression remained serious, but she was excited to learn about the new world. She was also excited to use her powers for the good of others after-

            “Wait, what year is this again?” The redhead asked as she looked at Peggy.

            “1943. End of October.” Peggy replied as she watched the redhead walk around. The redhead’s white clothes were becoming dirty and she knew it would be best to get her something more appropriate.

            “ _Damn,_ _I’m old_.” Veronica suddenly said as she stopped walking. “Well, you don’t look _too_ bad for a gal in her early fifties.” Howard joked as he looked at her with a smirk. Peggy looked at him with wide eyes, afraid of the mutant’s reaction and Steve stood shocked. That couldn’t possibly be her age. They were all surprised when the redhead began to laugh. It was a genuine laugh, and a nice one too.

            “Thank you, Howard.” The woman said with a smile. “Anyway, what do you want me to do?” She added as she became serious. “All I know is that you want me to work with _him_.” She finished as she pointed at Steve who was still shocked and confused by what was happening.

            “Well, we have a plan to infiltrate a Nazi base soon. We could use a woman of your… talents.” Howard explained as he continued to smirk at her.

            “I’ll skip the questions about what the hell a Nazi is and assume it’s a bad guy. So, it would be field work?” Veronica asked.

“We’ll give you a file to read later, but yes. You must stay at Mr. Roger’s side at all moments. Stray from him and the three of us will be in great trouble.” Peggy explained as she pointed to the redhead, Howard and herself. “You must win the colonel’s trust and get on his good side before you get certain privileges.” Peggy added.

            “Sure thing.” Veronica agreed quickly. As long as she could help others, she was in complete agreement with the terms. Just as she was going to say something else, a man walked in and looked at Peggy and Howard.

            “Where is it?” The old man asked.

            “What is he looking for?” Veronica asked in a hushed voice as she teleported behind Howard. He was startled and jumped to his feet. The colonel jumped back and looked at the girl in fear.

            “That would be it.” Howard informed after sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

            “Excuse me, I’m a _she_. Not an _it_.” Veronica scoffed and defended as she looked at both males.

            “I thought you said you were getting a weapon.” The old man said as he turned to Peggy.

            “ _That_ is _not_ a weapon.” He added as he pointed at the woman. The room began to get hotter as the redhead began to get angry at the man’s behavior.

            “Why don’t you come over here and I’ll show you exactly _what kind of a weapon_ I am.” Veronica growled as her eyes sparked up. Her fists were clenched and flames engulfed them. She stepped forward to fight with the man, but Peggy and Howard stepped in front of her.

            “You’re going to be a _royal pain_ in my ass, aren’t you?” Peggy hissed in a whisper.

            “I need you to relax.” Howard said in a soft tone. Veronica looked at the two and sighed. “Ms. Rumancek, this is Colonel Chester Phillips. He is the man in charge of the base.” Peggy said, introducing the man before the woman hurt him.

            “Oh, crap.” Veronica sighed as she closed her eyes in shame. So much for first impressions.

            “Colonel, this is Veronica Rumancek, the _“weapon”_ we said we would get in New York.” Peggy introduced the young woman.

            “You went all the way to New York, to get a woman?” The colonel asked as he was running out of patience and Veronica had to bite her lip to keep herself from exploding. She looked at the man and then at Steve Rogers, who looked at her with an apologetic face.

            “She is the best thing we have, colonel. With all due respect, you’re not going to find another person, or weapon, like than her.” Peggy said to the man, standing up for the redhead.

            “No, I can find someone _better_ than her. A _man_ who can do the job right.” The colonel as he began to get angry. The way he was treating Peggy was making Veronica’s blood boil and his sexist attitude made her skin begin to heat up. She refused to let her power control her and she calmed down after a second, but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t do anything about the situation. From her hand extended an orange sword. ***Psionic Projection: the ability to change psychic energy into tools, objects, weapons and other items, create semi-living constructs and/or create structures of varying permanence.** She teleported next to the arguing duo and placed the sword against the man’s throat.

            “With all due respect, colonel; please, _back the fuck away_ from Agent Carter.” Veronica hissed as she looked at the man with anger in her eyes.

            “Who are _you_ to threaten _me_?” He asked as he turned to her.

            “I’m the girl with enough power and anger issues to kill everyone here if I want to.” She growled through gritted teeth. The man looked stunned for a moment, but a smirk appeared a second later.

            “You don’t have the guts.” The man smirked and chuckled as he looked at Howard and Peggy, but they both shook their heads, signaling for him not to provoke her.

            “You should read my file. The one Howard and Peggy have.” She stated as she looked into his eyes as her body morphed and became fire. “I wouldn’t provoke me if I were you.” She hissed, the sword disappearing and the flames dying down after a moment.

            “Fine. You will be allowed on the missions that you are _needed_ in, but once you’re no longer of use to us, we _will_ take precautionary measures. Even if it means putting you down.” The colonel spat as he rubbed his neck and glared at the woman.

            After the altercation with the colonel, Peggy got some clothing for Veronica since she was naked. Her clothes had been burned when she morphed into her fire form. She had gotten dressed quickly and began to talk to Howard and Peggy. When they explained everything, she felt as if she should have stayed in the asylum. That day, she went to bed thinking of all the things they told and about the things she should do. She fell asleep not long after Howard told her tomorrow would be a new day and she watched as he sat down in a chair near his bed and watched over her as she was swallowed by a temporary darkness.

            She was trained by Peggy and some soldiers for a week, but she seemed to memorize the movements they made with a great ability. ***Eidetic Kinesthesia/ Adomopathy: can also be called adoptive muscle memory; is the ability to copy any movement/action after seeing it performed once, including acrobatics, martial arts, and other physical stunts. **She would need to watch them closely to know their patterns and their weaknesses, easily beating them at their own game. She was beginning to surpass the level of importance. She was getting good enough to deny her services. She would be needed and she would be able to say no. Colonel Chester Phillips should have begged for her services by the time they finished training her.

 

            Things did not go as planned. After the mission that she was sent on, late at night, Veronica was smoking a cigarette away from the rest. She was alone in a field not too far from the base and she was looking at the stars. She was thinking of all the good she wanted to do. She had done so well on the mission. She had even made a few friends. The silence around her was interrupted by a voice.

            “Why are you out here all alone, doll?” The voice asked, earning a smile from the redhead as she turned.

            “Sgt. Barnes, what a _lovely_ surprise.” [Veronica](http://www.polyvore.com/1943_military/set?id=200543416) said softly in a joking manner as she turned back to look at the stars as she took a drag of her cigarette.

            “I was looking for you inside. Thought I could repay you with a dance.” James Buchanan Barnes asked as he stepped next to her.

            “You don’t know anything about me, do you?” Veronica asked with a chuckle as she turned to the man.

            “All I know is that you saved my life. You saved Steve and you don’t even want to celebrate.” He said with a laugh.

            “I am twenty-five years older than you, Mr. Barnes.” Veronica informed as she turned to him.

            “Impossible.” He said as he looked at her in disbelief.

            “I’m not joking. I was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1892.” She informed as she took another drag, letting the deadly smoke fill her lungs.

            “Wow.” James stated in shock. “You still look really good for your age.” He laughed after a moment, making the redhead laugh. “What if, after all of this is over, I take you out to dance.” He offered as he turned to look at her. She turned to him and looked up at him. She was a few inches shorter than him. While he stood at five feet and eleven inches tall, she was only five feet and five and a half inches tall.

            “Are you sure you want to ask a killer out on a date?” She asked with a sad smile.

            “We’ve all done terrible things. Through every dark night, there is a brighter day.” He said to her.

            “What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked, completely lost in the blue of his eyes.

            “It means that no matter what demons or what darkness we fight, there’s always good that keeps us living.” He explained as he looked into her eyes and watched the way the held different colors in them.

            “James--” She began to say, but she was cut off by him.

            “Call me Bucky.” He said with a smile.

            “Call me Ronnie, then.” She said to him in return.

            “So, what do you say?” Bucky asked as he looked at her with hope in his eyes.

            “Fine. I’ll go dancing with you. But only after all of this is over.” Veronica said with a smile.

            “You promise?” He asked as he grabbed her hand. The cigarette had been forgotten and she dropped it on the floor. The woman smiled and lifted herself on the tips of her toes, kissing the man’s cheek.

            “I promise.” She whispered close to his ear.

 

            After talking for a while as they sat on the grass, Bucky stood to go back to the base. He stood still for a moment, looking up the beautiful stars that shone above them. They were shining so brightly, not a single cloud in the sky. The full moon was beautifully illuminating everything around them.

            “We should head back.” He said as he brushed the back of his pants.

            “I think I’m going to stay back and enjoy the peace for a little while longer.” The redhead said as she looked up at him from where she sat.

            “Are you sure?” He asked with concern.

            “I’ll be fine, Bucky. I’ll head straight to bed in half an hour.” Veronica informed with a small smile.

            “Alright. Can I at least get a good night’s kiss?” Bucky requested with a smirk. The redhead rolled her eyes and stood up. She grabbed a fistful of Bucky’s shirt and pulled him close to herself. Ronnie kissed Bucky’s lips for a few seconds and pulled back, leaving Bucky stunned for a moment.

            “Sleep well, Sgt. Barnes.” She said as she pushed him away and sat back down on the floor. She had watched him leave and now she had the night all to herself once again.

            A few minutes later, she heard footsteps approaching and they didn’t sound like Bucky’s. She turned her head to look at the person and stood when she realized it was Colonel Phillips. She looked confused and when she approached him, she noticed the gun in his hand. She was too slow. As soon as her eyes widened, he had raised the gun and shot the woman. A perfect headshot. He left her in the field, knowing that the sound would attract the attention of others and ran back to the base.

            The sound of the gun being shot was heard by all the soldiers, but the firsts to run to the field were James Buchanan Barnes, Steven Grant Rogers, Howard Stark and Margaret Carter. They were all shocked by their finding and Bucky was first to get to his knees. He cradled the body of the mutant and let a single tear escape him as his friend also kneeled at her side. Who could do such a thing to such an innocent person? To someone who saved the lives of many and helped many more.

            Veronica Rumancek Anderson’s death was mourned by many. Many were also angry by the fact that they didn’t perform an autopsy. They simply placed her in a body bag and left her in a tent for over two years. Strange thing was; her body didn’t decompose. Her body remained the same she simply became cold. It wasn’t until Red Skull had been taken out, that Agent Peggy Carter demanded the redhead be autopsied and given a proper burial. She had already suffered the loss of Steve Rogers and Steve had suffered the loss of James Barnes. Three amazing people lost.

            During the autopsy, a bullet was retrieved from her head and her body was cleaned neatly. Twelve hours after the bullet had been dug out, Veronica Rumancek gasped for air as she awoke from the darkness that had swallowed her whole. She was lost. She couldn’t recall the last thing that happened. She could only remember sitting under the stars after Bucky left. She could only remember him leaving. Then, the darkness took over. Her body felt sore and she was confused as to where she was. She lay on a table with a simple blanket over her. ‘ _What happened?’_ She questioned to herself as she sat up on the hard table. After a moment, she stood on her feet, stumbling a little. She made her way out of the tent, ignoring the fact that she was naked. As soon as the sun hit her eyes, she winced in pain. She closed her eyes and leaned on the walls for support. Then she heard footsteps. Heels. After they stopped for a minute, they began to run. In less than half a minute, the person was helping her, letting her lean her weigh in the person.

            “Howard!” She heard the female’s voice shout. The English accent informed her that it was Peggy Carter. “Come quickly! She’s alive!” Peggy shouted and soon enough, the man ran to them. He helped Peggy drag her to the infirmary and they gave her a blanket to cover herself.

            “What do you remember?” Howard asked as he stood in front of the redhead.

            “I remember being with Bucky. We talked for a while. He left and it all went black. Where _is_ Bucky? And where is Steve? Have they gone another mission yet?” The redhead asked quickly as she looked at the two with alarm. They both looked down sadly and the redhead was confused.

            “What happened?” Veronica asked them.

            “I don’t think we should talk about it just yet.” Peggy suggested as she looked at the still-young woman with pity.

            “What do you mean? What. Happened?” She asked again.

            “Veronica, the war is over.” Howard informed as he looked at her.

            “Great. Now, where are Bucky and Steve?” She questioned as she looked at him with a glare. She was beginning to get annoyed.

            “What I mean is, that it’s 1946.” Howard clarified and watched as the redhead’s eyes widened in shock.

            “What?” She asked in a small voice.

            “You died. In 1943. That night, you died.” Peggy informed as she stepped forward towards the woman.

            “Sgt. Barnes died at the start of this year during a mission. He fell off of a train trying to retrieve Arnim Zola. And Captain Rogers disappeared while taking down Red Skull and an aircraft that was destined to destroy New York City.” Peggy explained with sadness, watching as the redhead’s eyes began to fill with tears.

            “What?” Veronica sobbed in question.

            “I’m so sorry.” The agent said as she stepped forth and hugged the mutant.

            Just as Peggy was going to say something else, the doors to the infirmary were slammed open and in walked in Colonel Chester Phillips. He pointed a gun at the mutant and shot it. Out of the gun shot out a tranquillizer dart. In it was the serum developed to nullify her power. Peggy gasped and Howard jumped back.

            “What the hell?” Howard asked in exclamation as he looked at the colonel as if her were crazy.

            “When I shot you, you were supposed to stay dead.” He hissed as he took long strides towards her. Peggy and Howard watched in confusion as the man grabbed the redhead by the neck and dragged her out of the room. The duo followed them and continued to question the colonel.

            “Shut up, both of you. Mr. Stark, open up a cryotube.” The colonel ordered as he armed a real gun at the mutant’s head as he continued to hold her by the neck.

            “What? Why?” Howard asked.

            “Just do it, son.” The old man ordered again in a growl.

            “Howard… just… do it.” Veronica managed to say with the little air she could inhale. Howard did as he was asked and opened a cryotube. Once it was prepared, the colonel threw the redhead in there, restraining her tightly -not caring of she was naked-, and ordered Howard to shut it and initiate the sequence.

            Once he did, the colonel said: “Put her away where no one can find her. This _never_ happened. She _never_ woke up. Her body was cremated and sent to the crypt where Lee and Lorraine Anderson’s ashes are, as well.” The old man ordered and watched as the two reluctantly nodded.

****

**_Then, thirty years passed…_ **


	3. The Years

            In 1976, thirty years after being put in cryostasis, Veronica Rumancek Anderson -born in Bucharest, Romania in 1892-, was awakened by a group of scientists and agents that worked for HYDRA. Although the organization was thought to have been taken down, it was beginning to regrow a pair of heads. This had been occurring right under SHIELD’s (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) noses. Although her cryotube had been hidden in one of SHIELD’s most secure warehouses in the United States, HYDRA managed to find it and would put it to good use. HYDRA’s purposes were in no way good, but due to it being worked through SHIELD, many believed that her awakening was for good reasons. Agents were lied to, being told that she would be recruited as an agent and good ally, when in reality, she would be HYDRA’s deadliest weapon. An asset they would never again get the chance to gain.

            After being awakened by the members of the strange organization, Dr. Arnim Zola demanded that she be placed under surgery. Said German scientist (technically Swiss), had been recruited by SHIELD in the 1970’s during Operation Paperclip. This operation was for the unique purpose of intellectual aid, but DR. Arnim Zola served his own purposes and let HYDRA grow. Due to the danger of having a mutant as powerful as Veronica, certain precautionary measures were taken. After recovering completely from the surgery, still unconscious, she was brainwashed to believe she worked for SHIELD and served a good purpose, while she was secretly being used by the people they thought long defeated. The surgery was for the purpose of imbedding a pill-sized chip -manufactured by Arnim Zola himself- between the axis and atlas of the cervical spine. The technology in the chip was ahead of its time. In the chip were sensors that would be triggered by location. Should the chip’s protocols be overridden, by anyone who wasn’t HYDRA, the chip would be reset when in one of HYDRA’s many locations. The chip -as mentioned before- is a pill-sized sphere with long tendrils that wrap around the area. Inside the small sphere is a small and upgraded version of Howard Stark’s “ **Flame Serum** ” -or so that is what he called it after developing it, due to the woman’s hair-. A specific set of trigger words were synchronized with the chip. In the case of the words being said in the correct order, the chip would be immediately activated. The activation of the chip means that the chip would release the serum into the body, slowly nullifying the host’s powers -such as their ability to heal at an abnormal rate- and after the serum spread the chip would begin emitting wave lengths too strong for the normal human, slowly killing the brain and the host. The signs of the chip being activated would be: **pale skin** , **excessive sweating** , **cold skin** , **increasing headache** , **blurry vision** , **white noise** , **shaking** and **nausea**. Arnim Zola made it so that there were only three ways to deactivate the chip; **removal/extraction** , **trigger words** and **location sensors**.

            Years after HYDRA completed the activation of Operation Flame, in the late 1980’s, high members of the organization took a vote and concluded that it had been enough time and they could inform Veronica of her position in HYDRA. The decision was made on the belief that it would be easier and more efficient if she worked with them willingly and aware of her actions. The subject became hostile and they were forced to brainwash her once again to work for them, but the procedure had no effect on the woman. The first time they brainwashed her, she was recently awakened and out of surgery, under the effects of heavy drugs. The second time would not be that easy due to her awareness of the situation. She used various of her powers to stop the procedure and although she managed to get them to stop, they managed to get some shocks to her brain. She even used a power that she had only used on missions with Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, during the war against the Nazis. ***Mind Control: User can control the minds of others with targets being completely subject to their mental control. If the victims were placed into a semi-conscious state, they may not have any recollection of the previous actions that they performed while under its effect.**

###  1943

_“I can’t believe you dragged me into this.” Veronica groaned as she crouched down on the ground._

_“I thought you said you wanted to do some good?” Steve tried to reason as he looked at her. She closed her eyes and sighed, opening her eyes to look at him again. This time, instead of a calming forest green, they were a raging, fiery orange._

_“Yes, I did. So let’s get to work, Captain America.” She said as she began to grin._

_“Good. Good to know I have the royal pain in my ass by my side.” Steve smiled jokingly, earning a playful glare._

_“At least I’m royalty.” She muttered under her breath. She was going to turn away from him, but her eyes widened in realization and she smiled widely._

_“Whoa! That could totally be my name, Stevie.” She exclaimed softly with a wide grin, watching as Steve stared at her in confusion and said nothing. “ **Royal Pain** , Stevie! That could my name. Captain America and Royal Pain, fighting Nazis side by side.” She explained with excitement, earning a chuckle from Steve. _

_“You’re adorable; but now is not the time to be a having a conversation like this. So, come on.” Steve chuckled at her and she smiled as she silently followed him.  She was surprised when he jumped inside a moving truck. Her eyes widened, but she had no time to think of how crazy it was after they were already there. She ran quickly and easily jumped into the back of the truck, to see Steve fighting to men.  She looked at one of the men and sent a message. The mind control thing was a beauty. ‘Jump out of the truck.’ She commanded with her mind. The man did as she obeyed and she smiled as she sat in front of Steve._

_“Which ability is that?” The blonde asked curiously as he watched her play with the rings on her fingers._

_“Mind control. Very similar to psychic persuasion, yet at the same time it’s very different. Mind control actually **controls** you. Meanwhile, psychic persuasion just makes you more open to the suggestion of doing something and convincing you of it. You mix that with the telepathy and you have the mind control.” Veronica explained quickly. She was surprised when Steve seemed to have understood everything._

_Moments later, they were positioning themselves for exiting the truck. Steve placed his shield in front of himself, covering himself and Veronica, who crouched behind him easily. When a soldier opened the flap, he was facing the shield and not a second later, he was knocked back by it. This gave them the chance to jump out of the truck, unseen by any of the other soldiers. They ran for cover and observed the field. They hid behind tanks, making sure the coast was clear before running out again. Veronica followed Steve as he ran with a destination in mind. She easily mimicked his movements when he jumped and climbed. They ran on the rooftop of a small building, making their way to an even bigger building; the main building._

_Once they had made their way inside, Steve stood on front of a door, waiting for the guard to come to him. Steve lead him out and Veronica knocked him out with a kick. The duo quietly entered and sneaked around the pace, avoiding being seen by any soldiers. Steve stopped to look at some weapons._

_‘Take it. It could give us some leverage.’ Veronica said into Steve’s mind. Steve looked at her and grabbed one, putting it in his pocket. After taking one last look at it, they made their way to where they knew the prisoners where kept._

_There was a guard; a heavily armed one. Steve looked like he was ready to jump on him, but Veronica placed her hand on his chest, stopping her. She turned her head and looked at the guard. ‘Go take a piss. You really need to.’ Veronica commanded with her mind. They both watched as he suddenly looked like he really needed to go to the bathroom and left running._

_“Wait, no. Knock him out. He could call another guard.” Steve whispered quickly. Veronica groaned and held her hand up, stopping the soldier and holding him in place. “Plus, he might have the keys.” Steve added._

_“We don’t need keys.” The woman said with a smirk as she fully turned to look at the soldier. She stepped towards the guard, turning him to her. He looked like he wanted to scream, but she was preventing him from opening his mouth. She suddenly heated her body immensely, not letting it morph completely. The heat of her body radiating on to him. As if he were in a burning building, the oxygen began to leave him. ***Deoxygenation: the user can erase the oxygen from surrounding environment causing respiring organism to choke and even go into cardiac arrest.** His eyes widened as her body began to glow; as if she were going to implode. Once the oxygen was completely gone from his body, his eyes drooped closed and Veronica slowly let him drop, not making too much noise. She turned to walk towards Steve and smirked at his wide eyes. _

_“You need to stop looking so surprised, Stevie.” The redhead stated as she patted his chest. She crouched down to look at the imprisoned men and smiled at them as they stood with surprise on their every feature._

_“Hello, gentlemen.” She greeted with a smirk._

_“Who are you two supposed to be?” One of the men asked._

_“I’m Captain America.” Steve replied first the men turned to look at Veronica in expectation, causing her to grin._

_“Royal Pain.” She answered._

_“Um, beg your pardon?” Another of the men questioned with an English accent as the two soldiers made their way down to free them. Veronica looked at all of them and Steve looked at her expectantly._

_“Where are the keys?”  The same English man asked._

_“Don’t need them.” Veronica said as she ignited her hands with a blue flame. They all looked surprised and fearful, but obeyed her when she told them to step back._

_She placed her hands on the lock of the cell door, melting it. She pulled the door and they slowly made their way out of it. She did the same with all of the cells and watched the men exit them. Once they were out of the cells and they noticed that she didn’t attack, they looked less fearful. They all followed Steve while Veronica continued to free them. She watched as Steve began to ask questions about his friend, James Buchanan Barnes. When they told him a possible location, he told them the way to exit. Steve called Veronica and they made their way, fighting all the soldiers that walked their way. Unknowingly, as they fought, Arnim Zola and Johann Schmidt were watching them fight. Dr. Zola focused on the woman, watching her abilities. He wanted her. He needed to have her. Johann Schmidt noticed the scientist’s focus and agreed with his thoughts. Oh, how useful she would be. She would use many techniques to fight. She showed many abilities._

_They were almost at the room when they saw a small man at the other end of the hall, not too far from them. They watched said man run, but they couldn’t run after him; Steve needed to find his best friends. They let him go and entered a room to their left. In the room was a table with a man strapped to it. He was muttering incoherent words._

_“Bucky.” Steve called out to the man. Veronica went to the man’s other side and helped Steve unstrap him. “Oh, my god.” Steve said in shock as he looked at his dazed friend. He proceeded to rip the restraints. Veronica stared into the man’s eyes and searched for any signs of trauma._

_“Steve, get over here, he might snap out of it when he sees you.” The redhead said as she moved to continued ripping the restraints. When the man was standing, the woman watched the two interact._

_“I thought you were dead.” Steve said to his friend._

_“I thought you were smaller.” Bucky replied, looking at Steve as if he weren’t real._

_“I thought you wanted to get out of this hell hole.” Veronica added as she noticed they were taking too long. Both men turned to her and noticed the way she stood with her hand on her hips, staring at them with a cocked eyebrow._

_“Who’s she?” James asked with a confused look, yet he couldn’t help but stare at her in awe. She was gorgeous; even with the sweat and dirt._

_“The woman who’s trying to save our asses. This place is about to blow.” She informed walking towards them. She threw James’ other arms over her shoulders and let Steve carry him._

_“Why do you say that?” Steve asked as he looked from a map on the wall to her._

_“I can feel the energy. Fire is about to consume this place. We need to leave before that happens.” She explained as she continued to feel the energy (the heat) increasing. She drew power from it. ***Affinity: the power to gain strength from something, or when a certain event occurs**. Her body felt stronger with each passing second. They made their way out into the hall and James began to walk on his own as Veronica and Steve walked in front. _

_“Did it hurt?” She heard James ask Steve._

_“A little.” Steve informed as Veronica glanced back at them in amusement._

_“Is it permanent?” His best friend asked again._

_“So far.” Steve replied, watching Veronica, who continued to smile and chuckled at them._

_“How can you be so amused in a moment like this?” Steve asked in disbelief._

_“I just find you two very amusing. Now, come on, Stevie.” She said as she patted his chest with a smile._

_“Stevie?” She heard James ask Steve with a tone that told the two that he was reason to joke about it._

_“Just friends.” Veronica and Steve stated as they walked faster. It wasn’t even a minute later when the bombs began exploding. Veronica looked at the explosions, feeling drawn to them. She felt a hunger inside. A hunger that would consume her if she didn’t get a taste of the **flame**. She turned to Steve, unbuttoning the top of her _ [ _jumpsuit_ ](http://www.polyvore.com/1943_military/set?id=200543416) _and letting it drop around her waist. This left her top covered with the white, form-fitting t-shirt that Peggy provided her with. She looked at him with a smile and then to James._

_“Well, gentlemen, this is where we part ways.” She stated as she looked at the two. “Get out safely.” She added._

_“What are you doing?” Steve asked as he stepped forward._

_“I have to do something about this fire.” Veronica explained as she looked at James over Steve’s shoulder._

_“Let us stay and help.” The blonde offered._

_“I have a feeling that James just wants to go home, Stevie. I’ll meet up with you on the way home, I promise.” She looked into his and he could see a battle between the green and the amber. The amber wanted to take control._

_“Call me Bucky.” James called out from behind Steve, making her laugh._

_“Take Bucky home, Stevie.” She said loudly for Bucky to hear her._

_“Are you sure you can handle this on your own?” Steve asked softly._

_“I’m not alone.” She stated with a smirk as she stepped back. She surprised the two men as, from behind her, five copies of her emerged. ***Replication/Multiplicity: User can instantly and perfectly replicate themselves and/or targets which can be objects or living beings, numerous times, while usually being able to recombine the clones. Most users have both of these abilities (if subconsciously), copying their clothes/equipment along with their body. Original target will normally be able to maintain control over all copies.** With her control, all her copies saluted the two men. _

_“I have these beautiful ladies.” She joked and they all laughed. By “all” meaning the copies. It was sort of creepy. “Now, go!” They shouted in unison. The two men left, but not without stealing another glance at the copies. Bucky couldn’t help but look at her in a more than friendly way. Staring at her would be his addiction and he knew it. It was strange -even to him- that her mutation didn’t scare him._

_“See you on the other side, doll!” He called out to her as he left with Steve. She smiled and laughed as she watched him leave. ‘He’s handsome.’ She thought as she looked at his back as he left. She then shared a look with her clones and they all teleported to different places. Slowly, they opened their arms and closed her eyes, consuming the flames. They did it for minutes, but it didn’t matter how strong they became with the fire, she was getting tired of controlling her clones. It was wearing her out._

_At some point, she knew she had to stop. She let the clones return to herself and she teleported to Steve’s location. “You just missed the other redhead.” Bucky joked as he saw her by his side, talking about Red Skull._

_“You need to get out. You need to get out NOW!” Veronica said as in a low tone. All of the fire was burning through her veins. She now needed to let it go._

_“Ronnie, please be careful.” Steve said as he dragged Bucky with him, leaving the building._

_“Like I said: I’ll meet you on the way home.” She repeated, keeping a smile on her face as she back away from him. “Now, its CODE RED. So I need you to leave or I’ll kill you both.” She said as she continued back away. Her body was painfully containing an explosion, but she needed to hold on just a little while longer. The minutes went by and then she felt that she could be free. She could let go. So, she did._

_On their way home, Captain America and the men he rescued heard the loudest explosion, saw the biggest fire and felt a wave of energy stumble them forward. They were confused -with the exception of Steve and Bucky. They knew what happened. They were going to speak when some men gasped as they looked ahead. In front of the group, stood a woman. She looked ready to fall unconscious. Her naked body was covered in ashes and burnt clothes. Her hair was all over the place. “I told you I would meet you on the way home.” She whispered hoarsely just before her eyes drooped closed and the darkness swallowed her. A man, known my most as Dum Dum Dugan, offered is coat when Steve grabbed her in his arms. He carried her the rest of the way._

           

            After she threatened to expose HYDRA, they informed her of the chip implanted in her head. They would kill her if she chose to go against them. After threats were made and she thoughtlessly and selfishly chose stay alive, Veronica agreed to work for them as an asset; as their weapon. She should have thought it through. She regretted her decision every day for the rest of her life. She willingly chose to be a slave for the bad people. She went against her own good judgement. She was usually less selfish.

            Many years passed after discovering the truth. On December 16, 1991, she suffered the loss of Howard Stark, with whom she had gotten closer with over the years. In the same year, she was ordered to investigate the crime scene and she found it to be the work of HYDRA, something that upset her beyond belief. She didn’t know who they used, but she knew it was them. After an altercation, Veronica was sedated against her will and they began to mess with her mind, hiding certain memories. In the end, she was released of her torture and was put to work with a man by the name of Winter Soldier. He had been the most elite in his time, but he had been placed in cryostasis. When they awakened him, he was tasked to retrieve the Super Soldier Serum. This was the reason behind Howard Stark’s death. After injecting the serum into the most elite agents HYDRA had, they became worse than before. The Winter Soldier was no one next to them. Veronica never met him, she simply knew of his existence and his position in HYDRA. She didn’t really want to meet him. It was none of her concern. By that time, Veronica had people she cared about that HYDRA could hurt. She still had Peggy, Howard’s son, Tony; Peggy’s niece, Sharon; Nicholas J. Fury; and Philip J. Coulson.

            Over the years, Veronica became a killing machine for HYDRA. She became one of HYDRA’s most important assets. In the early 2000s, any information about the Winter Soldier disappeared. They refused to speak of the soldier’s condition and soon enough he became a ghost story. She had become the most feared yet unknown asset for HYDRA. Nobody knew it was her. She just did what they asked, when they asked and she didn’t ask questions. Then one day, in the year 2012 in New York, Veronica was working by Nick Fury’s side and the most surprising thing happened (Nicholas was now the Director of SHIELD and she was his right-hand-man when Agent Maria Hill wasn’t around). Veronica was talking to a man on the phone when the car jolted, speeding through the traffic and Director Fury turned his head to her, saying there was a CODE 13.

            “I’ll call you later. We have a situation.” She informed the man to whom she spoke and before he could reply anything, she hung up the phone and placed it in her jacket pocket.

            “What’s going on?” She asked as she looked at Nick, un-holstering her gun and checking the magazine. She sat in the passenger’s seat of the car as the man drove through the streets of New York City.

            “Captain Rogers woke up; he escaped containment.” The man with the eyepatch informed as he looked to the front.

            “I told you that would happen.” Veronica said as she shook her head and re-holstered her gun. “Pay up, Fury.” She smirked as she extended her hand. He groaned and rolled his eyes as he pulled out two twenty dollar bills.

            “I can’t believe I bet forty.” He grumbled grouchily as he shook his head.

            “Thank you.” She almost sang in cheer as she took the money and placed it in her jacket pocket.

            Times were very different now. [Her clothes](http://www.polyvore.com/ronnie/set?id=199172718) were very different. Now, she didn’t have to conceal herself as she used to. It was quite comfortable and refreshing. She was grateful for the less concealing and less heating clothes. Due to her specialty being fire, as if it ran through her veins, she was a person with very heated skin. Anything was too hot and began to make her sweat, but nothing was too cold. It wasn’t to an extreme though, she could withstand extreme heat. ***Thermal Resistance:  the user is able to survive at any temperature without discomfort.** She wore a pair of high-waisted, denim shorts over a grey, V-neck bodysuit. She didn’t even have to were a bra with most of the clothes she owned -which was very little-. Over her attire, she wore a black, leather jacket and in the hoops of her pants, was a belt that connected to her thigh holster. She wore thigh high stockings that were being held in place by garters that were visible and simply strapped to her thighs. One of the garters was covering up small portions of the tattoo she had gotten on her left thigh when she was working in Juarez, Mexico for a year under HYDRA’s orders. She wore boots with monstrous soles on them. They were quite heavy, but still comfortable and tightly laced up. Her only accessories were dog tags that hung around her neck and the old set of rings she still owned. On the chain she wore, was her own dog tag -one that Peggy had ordered be made for her in the late 1970’s- and James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes’ dog tag. Both of them a gift from Peggy. She wore them all day, every day. Oh, how she missed him sometimes. Some days were filled of his agonizing memory and other days she wouldn’t think of him more than twice. It was hard for her to lose Bucky. She had broken her promise. Then she thought she lost Steve, only for him to be found after almost seventy years in the ice. At the thought of Steve being alive, she always became happy and excited.

            As they got to Time’s Square quickly, many agents were piling out of their cars, surrounding the super soldier. He stood there, with no escape, looking at everything that surrounded him. All of the advances in technology, everything was so bright and the people crowded the streets using strange gadgets. Fury and Veronica were standing behind him after they exited the car quickly. Veronica was almost unable to stay still as she saw the blonde standing there. “At ease soldier!” Director Fury shouted over the loudness of the streets, making the soldier turn to them. The redhead was disappointed when Steve Rogers didn’t seem to recognize her. Perhaps it was her shoulder length hair with baby bangs and the fact that she was wearing sunglasses. Maybe she had changed. Maybe she had just _forgotten_ about her.

            She was dragged out of her mind when Nick walked toward the soldier and she followed him. She stood beside yet behind Fury, listening to him talk.

            “Look, I’m sorry about that little show back there. But we thought it best to break it to you slowly.” The black man with the eyepatch said as he looked at the soldier sympathetically.

            “Break what?” Steve asked, seeming out of breath.

            “You’ve been asleep, Cap; for almost seventy years.” The man informed after a moment. It must have been so hard for Steve. In that moment, he looked as if he could cry. He had lost so much time. Captain America looked around him and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

            “Are you gonna be okay?” Fury asked as he looked at the soldier. 

            “Yeah, yeah. I just… I had a date.” Steve says softly as he continued to look around.

            “Captain Rogers, my name is Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD.” The man informed, turning his body a little as he called Veronica to his side.

            “We would like to help you reintegrate into society.” The man added as Veronica stood at his side, folding her hands behind her back, hoping for the captain to recognize her.

            “Who are _you_?” Steve asked as he looked at the woman. Something about the redhead was very familiar.  The only thing he remembered was someone with very similar features.

            “Oh, my name is Lydia Rumancek.” She lied expertly as she looked at the captain with a smile. She really wanted to smirk externally, but this would be the greatest joke she played on him.

            “Rumancek? Like, Veronica Rumancek?” He questioned, making her internally exhale in relief. He remembered her!

            “Yes. Did you know her?” She continued to play the game.

            “Yes, in the short time we knew each other, she became one of my best friends. How are you two related?” Steve asked with a smile -a strange look in his eyes, one she couldn’t place- and then she saw the flaw in her lie. She would have said daughter, but to Steve, Veronica had died and she never had children. She could have said sister, but she was born an orphaned child and Steve knew that. Twin sister, maybe? It was a good choice; older and identical twin that the family kept. Still, she couldn’t continue the lie. She should have seen the flaw!

            “Um…” She was left speechless for a moment. “Oh, I give up! Hiya, Stevie.” She exclaimed as she took off her sunglasses and smiled at him, pushing her hair behind her ear. Steve smirked and lunged at her, lifting her above the ground and spinning her.

            “Did you think you could fool me, Ronnie?” He asked with a small laugh as she squealed.

            “How did you know?” She laughed as he placed her back on the ground.

            “The rings gave you away when we shook hands and the tattoos were also a dead giveaway. Plus, I’m not stupid. Only child. Orphaned. No children.” Steve said as he looked at her. “I can’t believe you’re alive.” He added as he looked at her and pulled her into a hug.

            “Ditto.” She replied into his chest.

            “How _are_ you alive?” He asked after a few moments as he pulled away from her, but not completely.

            “I was just like you, except I woke up in 1946. Suddenly, the war is over, Bucky’s dead and you’re missing.” She informed and suddenly they both looked saddened by the fact that James Buchanan Barnes was no longer with them. He wouldn’t have been with them either way.

            “Anyway, not even twenty minutes later, Colonel Phillips walks into the room, shoots me with the serum that Howard developed and forced Howard to put me in cryostasis. They hid the cryotube I was in, in one of SHIELD’s most secure warehouses. They woke me up again in the 70’s.” She explained as she motioned for him to walk with her. The agents with guns were getting back in their vehicles and Nick is walking toward the car he had driven. Veronica motioned for Steve to get in the back and she sat in the passenger’s seat again, turning her body to look at him.

            “Colonel Phillips?” Steve asked in disbelief as he looked at her. She watched as he sat on the comfortable leather seat.

            “Buckle up.” She commanded off topic as she motioned for the seat belt beside him. He looked confused so she leaned towards the back, kneeling on her seat, grabbing the seat belt and locking it safely. Steve looked very uncomfortable.

            “And yes, Colonel Phillips. He was the one who shot me in the head the first time. When he found out I was still alive, two years after shooting me, he was beyond pissed off so he did _that._ ” She continued to explain as she placed her chin on the back of her seat.

            “Wow. I knew he wasn’t a very… nice person, but I didn’t think he could be capable of killing someone innocent.” Steve said as he looked to be thinking about the events. He wasn’t there when they happened, but he remembered mourning Veronica with Bucky, Peggy and Howard. They were the closest people she had left. He remembered how his friend was so heart-broken. Steve could remember their last moments together.

 

 _He had offered her a drink and she had happily accepted it. She was warring a new jumpsuit and a new pair of boots. The redhead looked exhausted, but she wanted to celebrate their achievements. He could see Bucky looking at the redhead from where he stood, drinking with some of the other men they had freed._ _His blue eyes were on her and only her. He was entranced by her._

_“Thank you.” Steve said as he looked at Veronica as she leaned against the bar._

_“For what?” She asked as she turned to look at him with forest green eyes._

_“Saving all of us. For blowing up that base. You were amazing!” Steve praised as he looked at her take a swig of her drink._

_“Steve, I almost killed you. I was dangerous and I put yours and Bucky’s life in danger.” Veronica refused to be praised for something that could’ve killed all the men they had tried so hard to free._

_“You risked your life for the lives of men you didn’t even know existed until you saw them in those cells. You did some good and you deserve to have a good time for it._

_“You know, Stevie, you’re not so bad. I have a feeling you and I are gonna be the best of friends.” She smiled as she looked down at her boots and then up at the super soldier._

_“I thought we were already friends?” Steve said in joking manner._

_“That’s why I said were we’re gonna be the BEST of friends.” She clarified as she smirked and winked at him._

_“Oh, I forgot to ask you: does your friend have a lady waiting for him back home?” She asked as she stared at the handsome soldier as he spoke to other men, stealing a glance towards her. She waved, wiggling her fingers and took a sip of her drink._

_“Who? Bucky? Oh, no; he’s not the type.” Steve informed as he followed her gaze._

_“He’s handsome, charming and single?” She asked in false disbelief; as if she were surprised._

_“He took a liking to you as well. He can’t stop looking at you.” Steve laughed, earning a snigger and laugh from the redhead. She blushed at the thought of having mutual feelings with someone again, but then she thought about how much it would hurt when she lost the people she loved again. Suddenly, everything in her was telling her to put the walls and to shut off her emotions, just like in the asylum. She looked at Steve and drank the last of her drink, letting it burn her throat in a good way. She placed the glass on the bar top and hugged Steve._

_“Thank you.” She whispered as she had her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders._

_“For what?” He asked as he continued to hug her._

_“For being my friend.” She simply replied before pulling away. Before he could say anything else, she exited the bar and went outside for some fresh air and a nice cigarette to relax her nerves. Bucky hadn’t seen her leave, he had looked away when Steve and the redhead were hugging. Steve smiled when his best friend asked him where the redhead had gone. Steve knew that his friend was finally falling for a girl. He was truly falling for her._

            …

            “Steve? Steve!” A voice pulled Steve out of his thoughts and away from memory lane. He snapped his head up to look at Veronica and shook his head.

            “Sorry. What did you say?” Steve asked as he looked at her worried expression.

            “You dozed off for a minute. I got worried.” She said as she continued to display concern.

            “I’m fine. Just… remembering some things.” Steve vaguely explained as he sent a smile her way; it didn’t reach his eyes. She decided not to press on the matter and shook her head, getting rid of the thought.

            “I was saying that I would love for you to stay with me, but I kind of live with someone, so I don’t think you’d be comfortable with that. So, as an alternative, I’ll help you look for places where you can stay. For now, you’ll be staying at a secluded cabin; one of SHIELD’s safe houses.” She informed as she looked at him. She was going to say something else, but her phone began to ring. She groaned and answered it.

            “Agent Pain.” She answered in a strong tone. “Oh. Hey, sorry. I was taking care of something I’ve been working on for a while.” There was a pause as she listened to the man on the phone. It was the same man she had been speaking to before they were informed of Steve’s awakening.

            “I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon. Please, try to be home tomorrow. I don’t want to clean the apartment by myself.” She continued to listen to the man on the phone and talk to him softly.

            “Who’s she talking to?” Steve asked the man driving.

            “She’s talking on her phone with her boyfriend.” Nick informed as he smirked at the woman by his side. ‘ _Phone? Boyfriend?’_

            “What phone? Who’s she with?” Steve asked curiously. How could they have a phone in a car?

            “We’ll show you and explain everything later, Captain Rogers.” Nick said with a chuckle. “Also, his name is Brock. Brock Rumlow. You’ll meet him soon enough.”

 

**_The years… oh, how they’ve passed._ **


End file.
